Standard Operating Procedure (2008)

Standard Operating Procedure (2008)



Information
Standard Operating Procedure is an examination of the unintended consequences of the Iraqi war with a focus on events at Abu Ghraib prison which began to appear in global media in 2004. The prison quickly became notorious for the shocking photos of the abuse and torture of terror suspects by military men and women. Ultimately, it is the story of soldiers who believed they were defending democracy but found themselves plunged into an unimagined nightmare.

You’ve seen the photographs: the naked prisoners, the pyramid of degraded captives, and the infamous thumbs-up grin of the young female corporal standing guard over them all. Now, come inside and see the true story of the men and women who crossed the thin line between interrogation and torture. Errol Morris’s award-winning documentary takes you behind the bars of the 21st century’s most infamous prison, and the acts that forced a president to apologize to the world.

Allegedly encouraged by interrogators to increase the pressure on the detainees to better facilitate the extraction of military intelligence, members of the 372nd Military Police Company who were responsible for guarding the detainees crossed the line between SOP and criminal misconduct. Detainees were subjected to physical abuse (e.g., punching and dog bites) and sexual humiliation (e.g., forced masturbation and forced homoerotic postures) not authorized by the SOP. Though the soldiers knew enough to hide their misconduct from outsiders, especially the Red Cross, they graphically documented it in personal photos and videos. Widely circulated throughout the 372nd, the images eventually leaked out to the press and were the evidentiary basis for the subsequent courts-martial.

Seven enlisted soldiers from the 372nd had been convicted of violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice by the time Morris started making Standard Operating Procedure. The stiffest sentences were given to Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick and Corporal Charles Granger who were given eight- and ten-year prison terms respectively. Though the Army denied Morris the opportunity to interview Frederick and Granger (who were still incarcerated during filming), he did secure the cooperation of the other five: Sergeant Javel Davis; Specialists Megan Ambuhl Granger, Sabrina Harman, and Jeremy Sivits; and Private First Class Lynndie England.

Director Morris describes Standard Operating Procedure as an investigation to discover what actually happened “outside the frame” of the infamous Abu Ghraib photographs. His conclusion was that “the Abu Ghraib photos serve as both an expose and a coverup."