Senior Project Proposal

Asia Walker
February, 2 2015
Seminar Advisor: Ms. Hill

Essential Question
Is torturing terrorist ever justified or useful?

Statement of Interest-I am interested in the topic Torture , because its a big

conservational on this issue seeing if its right and was it useful in finding out information
against terrorists in finding people. Also I have mixed views on it this topic and want to
inform people that torture was not useful in finding out information and was a waste of
time even though they deserved it.

Project Overview
First I plan on doing more research on my topic. Then I plan on working on my research
paper along with my annotated bibliography. Followed by talking with my mentor about
an ACP plan . And working on my technology part of the project.

ACP
For my ACP I will educate a class on what torture is, there views on it and
what happened to the terrorist at Guantanamo Bay and what went on there and
how it wasn't useful.
Students will take a survey before and after my lesson and see how their
views changed on what torture is.

Mentor:
My mentor Mr.Zeiser will meet days a week, Mr. Zeiser knows a lot on torture
because he did a paper in college , similar to what I'm studying now.

Facts:
That torture really isn't effective, detainees gave false info because they
were being tortured. The info terrorist did give was not helpful and useful
Some detainees was tortured without a trial and not proven a terrorist
( they was at the wrong place , at the wrong time )
Detainees was tortured numerous times a day.
Had numerous torture techniques down to them
The U.S still has prisons open
They tortured teens and went against the detainees religion
Them torturing did not help find Osama Bin Laden
Abu Ghraib

 Guantanamo Bay
they sexual assulted them
stress positions
dogs
loud music
rectum feeding
force feeding
chained to ceiling
beat up , slapped kicked
locked in a small box for over 5 hours
20 hour interrogations
over 200 detainees only 1 detainee info was reliable in finding Osama.
threatened their families , made them think they family was getting
assaulted in the next room
They was tortured at black sites overseas in iraq and afghanistan and
Guantanamo Bay ,was the second camp opened
Some men was innocent just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
That one detainee gave reliable and useful info
They used guantanamo bay because it wasn't in the u.s , in cuba so they
thought it wasn't in nobody's land therefore it wasnt aginst the law to torture

Bill of Rights , prisoners rights

It is debated as to whether or not torture as a punishment falls under the

cruel and unusual punishment clause of the Eighth Amendment to the United
States Constitution.
Geneva Convention- they said the u.s army people violated the geneva
convention by going over board with torture, saying it doesnt apply to prisoners of war at
abu grahib

Torture went againt prisoners human rights.

Many say the U.S is better then this, "torture is the method of the enemy".
Rev General George Washington decreed his soilders would never torture
prisoners as the british did. "NEW COUNTRY"
Nuremberg trails- U.S gov officals accountable of crimes against humanity
genocide, war crimes
1692-Salem witch trails , tortured "witches" 81 yarr old amn tortured
1847-torture of slaves in the antebellum south, whipped prolonged
retrainst
1903-thedore Roosvelt defends U.s military use of waterboarding against
Filipino prisoners"nobody was sersiously hurt"
1963 CIA prolong torture methods do and donts come out
2004- reports of 9/11 torture

Collaboration

Mr.Zeiser did a big college paper on was torture useful and helpful , hes
helping me. And asking tech teachers for help with my presentation.
BibliographyDebate.org / History and Debate Of Torture
http://www.debate.org/torture/
Debate.org / Is the use of torture against terrorist suspects ever
justified
http://www.debate.org/opinions/is-the-use-of-torture-againstterrorist-suspects-ever-justified