Torture by Sensory Deprivation

The first part of Naomi Klein's book, The Shock Doctrine, is about the sophisticated ways sensory deprivation is being used by intelligence establishments of the US and other governments to break the will of suspected terrorists.  Solitary confinement has long been used as a way to discipline prisoners.  Klein makes a very good case that such treatment constitutes cruel and improper punishment. 

It was recently reported that one method used against Muslim prisoners in Guantanamo is to put them in a small room, lights on 24 hours a day, no contact with outside stimulation, except for a constant, loud barrage of Sesame Street on a TV screen in the room. No clock.  total isolation except for guards who make sure the prisoner is unable to sleep.   

Once in my life, I had a brief scrape with forced isolation. It was part of an initiation ritual while in college. At night, I was put in a room, lights on, no clock, and told not to sleep. Doesn't sound much like torture does it.  Here's what I know from that experience. At least for me, isolation is mentally torturous. An extended period of that kind of treatment would be cruel and unusual punishment.

Probably, in some cases, that brand of coercion is justified.  It's not the kind of thing I would want to be the decider on.

There is a young man, an Army private named Bradley Manning, who has been accused of releasing  information classified by the government to the media through an organization called Wikileaks.  I don't know whether Manning is guilty or not. It doesn't seem, based on the kind of information that was released and who it was released to, that this is a case of someone trying to harm his country. In fact, a strong case can be made suggesting just the opposite.  In the United States of America, a person is considered innocent until proven guilty. Everything I have read indicates that Manning is being subjected to constant isolation.  I know that's cruel. As a people, we are better than that.