Preventing Medical Complicity in Torture collection, 1973-2022, bulk 2003-2016
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Summary
- Creator:
- Davis, Martha, 1942-
- Abstract:
- The Preventing Medical Complicity in Torture collection includes research materials, video interviews, and other materials related to the creation and distribution of Martha Davis's documentary films Doctors of the Dark Side and Expert Witness on the participation of psychologists in interrogations and torture of detainees by the United States. Acquired as part of the Human Rights Archive.
- Extent:
- 1.5 Linear Feet
- Language:
- Materials in English.
- Collection ID:
- RL.12033
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Preventing Medical Complicity in Torture collection includes research materials, video interviews, and other materials related to the creation and distribution of Martha Davis's documentary films Doctors of the Dark Side and Expert Witness on the participation of psychologists in interrogations and torture of detainees by the United States. The collection also includes materials related to the American Psychological Association's stance on member doctor participation in interrogations and torture.
- Biographical / historical:
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Martha Davis is a clinical pschyologist and documentary film director.
Martha Davis was born July 15, 1942, and earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University in 1973. She specialized in nonverbal communication research and is a certified movement analyst. She was a member of the faculty of New York University's Tisch School, was a visiting scholar at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York, and was the director of the Institute for Nonverbal Communication Research.
Davis has directed three documentary films about the involvement of health professionals in torture: Interrogation Psychologists: The Making of a Professional Crisis (2008), Doctors of the Dark Side (2011), and Expert Witness: Health Professionals on the Frontline Against Torture (2015). Her films have looked at the role the American Psychological Association (APA) and pscyhologists, as well as other doctors, have played in the United States's torture of detainees as well as how some medical professionals have protested against the use of torture. She has also participated in protests of the APA's policy of permitting psychologist participation in interrogation of detainees.
In 2005, the American Pscyhological Association endorsed a policy allowing psychologists to participate in interrogations of detainees related to United States national security (although the APA code of ethics also prohibited involvement in the torture of detainees). The policy led to protests by and the resignation of many members from the organization. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, news reports linked the participation of psychologists to detainee torture in facilities such as Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. In 2015, a report issued by David Hoffman, a former assistant US Attorney who led an independent investigation into the APA's involvement in the US's torture program, found extensive cooperation between the organization and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and US military around techniques for the torture of detainees. Later in 2015, the APA reversed the policy allowing psychologist participation in interrogations and in 2016 adopted a revised code of ethics explicitly prohibiting participation in torture.
Sources: Website for Expert Witness, About the Film and Update, accessed 2022 October 05: https://www.expertwitnessagainsttorture.com/watch-expert-witness/the-making-of-expert-witness/
The Guardian news website, "US torture doctors could face charges after report alleges post-9/11 'collusion'", accessed 2022 October 05: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/jul/10/us-torture-doctors-psychologists-apa-prosecution
Website, Timeline of APA Policies & Actions Related to Detainee Welfare and Professional Ethics in the Context of Interrogation and National Security, accessed 2022 October 05: https://www.apa.org/news/press/statements/interrogations
Collection guide for Martha Davis papers, Special Collections in Performing Arts, University of Maryland Libraries, accessed 2022 October 05: https://archives.lib.umd.edu/repositories/4/resources/1765
- Acquisition information:
- The Preventing Medical Complicity in Torture collection was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift from Martha Davis in 2022.
- Processing information:
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Processed by Tracy M. Jackson and Craig Breaden, August, 2022
Accessions described in this collection guide: 2022-0032.
- Arrangement:
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Organized into the following series: Films, Interviews and programs, and Research materials.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
Contents
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Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
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Access note. Some materials in this collection are fragile audiovisual/photographic formats that may need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.
Access restricted. Some materials in this collection are restricted. Video interviews and programs may be copied and used for Duke class instruction within the Duke Box secure file delivery system. The donor may give consent in writing for duplication and access to a restricted video. Contact Research Services for more information.
Access note. Some materials in this collection are electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.
- Terms of access:
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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.
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- Preferred citation:
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[Identification of item], Preventing Medical Complicity in Torture collection, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1474f