I've been closely following the Iraqi prison scandal since the story broke almost two weeks ago. I even wrote a long blog post last Saturday night - but then I deleted it. I made some strong declarative statements - and I wasn't sure I had enough info to back up those statements. But, the news just kept pouring out this week. And I decided my Saturday post was not that far off. So, I'll make another pass at it.
I am appalled by the pictures and stories - but I am not shocked. Now, I know that many of Americans are shocked that US soldiers would engage in such activities. But, guess what? A prison is a microcosm of one-sided power. And it doesn't matter who the guards are - they're human beings. And there are bullies, sadists, and followers in every crowd. If a prison is not properly and strictly managed, a Lord of Flies situation can quickly ensue.
So, no. I don't find the pictures and actions shocking or suprising - just appalling.
But, I am totally shocked and surprised by the appalling lack of management at the prison. Actually - underneath it all, I'm really not that shocked and surprised. It is consistent - the Bush administration has colossally mismanged the entire occupation - the prison situation is just one more example.
But for God's sake. Good and humane prison management is not rocket science. I am outraged beyond belief that professional management practices were not implemented. It is inexusable. Here are the big mistakes:
- Lack of organizational structure. Who had dominion over the prisons? Military police or military intelligence? And as any one who has worked in any sort of corporate structure will tell you, if the chain of command is unclear, entropy will rapidly occur and exploit every weak link in the chain.
- Conflicting mission. Again, another classic management mistake that goes hand in hand with a lack of organizational structure. Military intelligence wanted to "soften up" the prisoners. The military police did not. But at least some members of military intelligence were able to exploit the weak command structure to institute "softening up" measures.
- Where were the supervisors/officers? To have left these very young, very inexperienced guards unsupervised is literally criminal. Without experienced, humane, firm on-the-floor leadership, the one sidedness of guarding another human being can quickly deteriorate into nasty nasty sadist power wielding behavior.
- Poor to non-existent training. The guards received one short "summer camp" training class on prison management. Poor training is an absolutely classic classic management error.
- Understaffed - the prisons were severely understaffed. The ratios of prisoners to guards were ridiculous - significantly greater than the military's own guidelines. You can only cut costs so much.
- And finally, the followers among the sadists bear responsibility. Not everyone has to join in with the bullies.
I am just outraged at such poor management. These mistakes are all classic textbook/case study examples. Nothing new here.
9:16:40 PM 
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