A settlement was reached last week in a lawsuit against two psychologists who were paid by the CIA to develop its post-9/11 interrogation program.
Bruce Jessen and James Mitchell received more than $80 million as contractors, and their work included proposing techniques such as waterboarding and forcing individuals to hold painful positions for hours. The terms of the settlement are confidential, but some psychologists and civil rights attorneys are calling it a “historic victory.” They argue that it is one of the first times individuals affiliated with the torture program are being held accountable. The lawsuit draws attention to ongoing questions about how to compensate torture survivors.
Host Frank Stasio talks with Deborah Weissman, Reef C. Ivey II Distinguished Professor of Law at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Stephen Soldz, clinical psychologist, professor and director of the master's program in social justice and human rights at the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis.