<i>I&#x27;m pretty sure everyone involved thought the person was not innocent.</i><p>This is always true of almost everyone arrested by the police: they&#x27;re arrested because they&#x27;re suspects. Suspicion is not grounds for torture. <i>Guilt</i> is not grounds for torture either! That&#x27;s what the 8th Amendment is about.<p>Torture is, in and of itself, a crime against humanity under international law and the laws of war. This is not a theoretical point, it was used in the post-WW2 war crimes trials to prosecute even low-ranking staff who were involved in systematic torture. The Allies executed people for torture.