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`High crimes and misdemeanors': George W. Bush and the sins of Abu Ghraib

Indiana State University, USA, mhamm{at}bluemarble.net

This article examines the Abu Ghraib prison scandal from the perspective of cultural criminology. Several points are made about the iconic images of abuse. First, it is argued that these images, along with supporting documents, constitute the photographic record of a crime committed by the capitalist state. This was the high crime of torture. Next the images are used to examine the efficacy of various explanations for the Abu Ghraib scandal. These include the US Government's theory that the abuse was perpetrated by a small group of `bad apples' within its military police units; Zimbardo's `automatic brutality' theory of prisoner abuse which suggests that we are all latent torturers; and McCoy's theory that the most sophisticated interrogation practices at Abu Ghraib were designed and executed by the US Central Intelligence Agency, with military police in a supporting role. The weight of evidence supports McCoy's theory, thereby lending credibility to the argument that the torturing of detainees at Abu Ghraib followed directly from decisions made by top government officials, from President George W. Bush on down, to `take off the gloves' in prisoner interrogations.

Key Words: CIA • George W. Bush • state crime • US torture policy • war on terrorism

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