Worse? Intel obtaibed at the torture extreme is simply not reliable. The cultural need - at the elites' level - to "break" the opposition is disturbing. And yes,ultimately this manifests in the broader culture. If for no other reason, the elites have become normalized to The Culture of Violence and see no reason to change course. Their power remains safe and intact.
Sadly, torture is an industry. Much like so many other aspects of our intelligence agencies, the job is often done by third party contractors.
The most famous is Mitchell Jessen and Associates, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Elmer_Mitchell#Work_as_a... , but it's not the only one. Margot Williams published articles about an airline company used to send people to black sites across the world.
