James said he stopped the abuse, gave the detainee coffee and took the interrogator aside, suggesting that simple kindness rather than sexual humiliation would result in better information. But he never disciplined or reported those involved in that and other abuses cited in his recent book, “Fixing Hell.”
As the “guy the nation selected ... to fix the abuses” at Gitmo, James said, he had far more impact by modeling humane techniques and advising commanders. Besides, he said, the abusive practices there — including sleep deprivation and stripping detainees — were legal at the time under the Bush administration.
As dean of Wright State’s School of Professional Psychology, James works far from the hell he describes in his book. But what he did at Guantanamo — or what he didn’t do, say critics — followed him to the Fairborn campus, where he landed in 2008.
Some psychologists and human rights advocates say James should have done far more to change policy and stop abuses as Guantanamo’s top psychologist. As a health professional, they argue, he had an ethical duty to report all detainee abuses. They have asked the Ohio and Louisiana professional licensing boards to investigate, but the boards have declined.
James says he’s being targeted by a few critics ignorant of Gitmo’s complexities. “There are no manuals anyone can refer to.”
His critics continue their fight in court.
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