The Ethics Office of the American Psychological Association recently closed a longstanding ethics complaint against Dr. John Leso without taking any disciplinary action -- despite extensive documentation of his involvement in cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment at Guantanamo. I offer my perspective in the form of a cartoon.

::::::::

(Article changed on February 24, 2014 at 06:43)

The Ethics Office of the American Psychological Association recently closed a longstanding ethics complaint against Dr. John Leso without taking any disciplinary action -- despite extensive documentation of his involvement in cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment at Guantanamo. I offer my perspective on the APA's position in the cartoon below. A larger version is also available online here:

www.ethicalpsychology.org/leso

Thus far APA's stance has prompted many individual expressions of outrage and concern, as well as detailed statements from at least three groups -- Psychologists for Social Responsibility, the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology, and APA's own Division 39 (I am a member of the first two organizations).

APA's governing body, its Council of Representatives, has the authority to review the actions of the Ethics Office -- if it so chooses. Answers are needed to important questions about the procedures and priorities that produced this disturbing precedent-setting decision in the Leso case.

Click HERE for larger version.

Authors Website: http://www.royeidelson.com

Authors Bio:

Roy Eidelson is a psychologist who studies, writes about, and consults on the role of psychological issues in political, organizational, and group conflict settings. His most recent book is Doing Harm: How the World's Largest Psychological Association Lost Its Way in the War on Terror. He is a past president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility, a member of the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology, and the former executive director of Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict at the University of Pennsylvania..