From the Spring 1999 edition of Public Service Psychology , the newsletter for Division 18 of the American Psychological Association. In my travels across the country, my work as a consultant or expert witness has often let me into conditions that were not only unconstitutional, but horrifying. And yet, in those same systems, I have seen seemingly decent and hard-working psychologists, working tirelessly to provide solace and hope to people in very difficult straits.
Some ethicists argue that participating in unacceptable systems is wrong.
They argue that the participation of credentialed professionals legitimizes and thus perpetuates these systems. They admonish such professionals to simply walk away, to refuse to play in such a filthy sandbox. And these arguments seem reasonable. But when I meet the people who have stayed, I do not find them less ethical or less moral for it. To the contrary, many of these psychologists, nurses, psychiatrists, social workers, correctional officers, and psychiatric technicians have become heroes to me.