Principle #12: Stop collaborating with the criminal punishment system to violate people in custody, including through performing cavity searches at the request of police or prison officials; evaluating competency to stand trial; experimenting on and sterilizing people who are incarcerated; facilitating torture; or administering the death penalty

SUBSECTIONS

Why

Invitation / Action

Read More

Reflection Questions

Reflect

Research

Practice

Imagine

Return to 13 Principles

Why

  1. Health care providers collaborate with police, corrections, military, and intelligence agencies to facilitate torture (including “enhanced interrogation”). They participate in experimentation and forced sterilization of people who are incarcerated. They are involved in evaluations to render people competent to stand trial or be put to death. And they participate in the administration of the death penalty.


Invitation / Action

  1. We call on health care providers involved in these situations to speak out and refuse to participate.

Read More

  1. More immigrant women say they were abused by ICE gynecologist - Guardian

  2. The Death Penalty in 2021: Year End Report

  3. Read the APHA Statement on Addressing the Harms of the Carceral System

  4. Read our resource on Refusing Carceral Collaborations which has examples of ways in which health care workers have worked to provide care in the face of coercive systems.

Reflection Questions

Reflect 

  • Make a list of all the ways you can think of that medical providers participate in the criminal punishment system from arrest to the imposition of the death penalty.  Are these consistent with the primary principle of "do no harm"?

Research

Practice

  • Who are the people, groups, organizations and allies who you can build with to push back against such practices? Make a list and convene a gathering to develop a plan for refusal to participate in such harms.

Imagine

  • What would happen if health care providers refused to participate in executions? If they refused to participate in abortion prosecutions? In any prosecutions of the people entrusted to their care? How might the world look different if providers refused to participate in the harm of criminalization? 

  • Read the Angels of Bread by Martin Espada

  • Read Aurora Levins Morales’ poem “V’ahavta” (PDF)