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From Daphne:

Where is the line drawn between a law enforcement or correction officer's right to protect the community and defend themselves and torture? The use of restraint chairs, knight sticks, pepper spray, etc. are commonly used -- when does the use of these devices become torture versus justifiable use?

John Conroy is the author of Ordinary People, Unspeakable Acts - The Dynamics of Torture.

Alas, I'm not an expert in police weaponry, and I'm sure Amnesty's own experts could answer this question better -- they have studied restraint chairs and pepper spray in some detail. I think the desired outcome is the use of the minimal amount of force in cases in which an officer is physically threatened. To get that, it is helpful to educate officers so their first tool is not deadly force and to videotape arrests (when possible) and interrogations.

[For more on this topic, see Amensty International's statement, Unnecessary Death, Injury and Pain Caused by the Use of Restraint Chairs. Plus, see Stopping the Torture Trade for an international perspective on this issue.]