Is the use of torture ever justified in dealing with criminals and terrorists?

I strongly believe that torture is justifiable to those criminals who committed hideous crimes and terrorists. In the first place, it is those criminals fault to have committed crimes or endangered peoples’ lives. I feel that they deserve the torture if they do not confess to their crimes or provide information that could save lives. As mentioned in the first article, some may feel about the terrorists’ treatment, but when they think of 9/11, of the awful carnage, their screams may start sound like justice. Harsh treatments are not illegal and are often effective as said by Bush. Thus, torture is one of the most effective ways to get useful information from stubborn criminals.

However, there is also a limit to torture. Torture is only acceptable in some circumstances as raised in the second article. Mr Faris, former chairman of the National Crime Authority, said that torture is only acceptable in criminal investigations that implicate lives. An example would be when a criminal hides a tied-up hostage, who has no ability to move, in an enclosed area, endangering his or her live. When he refused to say that person’s whereabouts, torture can be used to force the criminal to confess, as this will implicate a person’s live and death. I feel that it’s definitely not against human rights to torture a person that endanger the live of another person, as it will save some one’s live.

Nevertheless, torture should be stopped if proven ineffective on certain criminals. As mentioned in the second article, if a criminal doesn’t say anything after his fingernails had been pulled out, this would mean that no amount of torture would work on him. Torture should stop and not go to the extent of hurting innocents like the criminal’s loved ones to emotionally torture him. I feel that this is then violating human rights.

In conclusion, torture is only justifiable when police is certain that that criminal has information about other serious crime or that criminal happens to endanger other peoples’ lives by not giving the whereabouts of those people to the police.