Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain, physical or psychological, as a means of forcing information or a confession, punishment, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has taken on a wide variety of forms, and has often been used as a method of coercion, interrogation and political re-education. Though torture is prohibited under international law and the domestic laws of most countries in the 21st century, reports of enhanced interrogation techniques still surface occasionally. Learn more about the various techniques both legal and forbidden used by the law enforcement and intelligence agencies throughout history in the following pages.