Normal people in bad situations.

Clinton wonders aloud about the behaviour of the Khmer Rouge interrogators. Unfortunately this sort of behaviour is both normal, and predicted; anyone who doesn't understand this needs to take the time to read about such experiments as "The Stanford Prison Experiment"

Welcome to the Stanford Prison Experiment web site, which features an extensive slide show and information about this classic psychology experiment, including parallels with the recent abuse of Iraqi prisoners. What happens when you put good people in an evil place? Does humanity win over evil, or does evil triumph? These are some of the questions we posed in this dramatic simulation of prison life conducted in the summer of 1971 at Stanford University.