The Boston-area special needs school, which is called the Judge Rotenberg Center, enrolls students ages 3 to adult, all of whom are either autistic children or are struggling with severe emotional, behavioral or psychiatric disorders. Those students who display undesirable behavior, reports ABC News, are subjected to a treatment which the United Nations is calling “torture.” All of the Judge Rotenberg students are subject to shock treatment.
Calling the JRC’s treatment of autistic kids in extreme situations torture is akin to calling a physician using a scalpel on a patient assault with a deadly weapon, claim JRC representatives. They claim that shock treatment in short bursts is humane when in contrast to the alternatives of either allowing emotionally disturbed or even autistic kids to cause themselves or others physical harm or otherwise medicating them into a lobotomized state. Head JRC doctor Matthew Israel told ABC the real torture for autistic kids and others is the latter. He stated that JRC’s shock treatment “has no detrimental effects whatsoever.”
A two-second skin shock
The Judge Rotenberg Center uses a very small device that administers a shock when necessary as a form of behavioral therapy, says Israel. Students are only subjected to the device after a court and (in the case of autistic children) parents or caregivers have to approve. Allegedly, the short shock hurts just enough to dissuade JRC students from destructive behavior. After periods of good behavior, students are rewarded with points that they can use later on to buy prizes. In total, the Judge Rotenberg Center houses such students for $200,000 per year, taxpayer financed.
UN condemns treatment
Eric Rosenthal, who is an advocate for the disabled, created a report that prompted the United Nations to become involved in the JRC’s activities. Massachusetts Sen. Brian Joyce has tried to shut down the Judge Rotenberg Center but has been unsuccessful. The United Nations reference America’s international treaty stance on torture when they are referring to the JRC’s shock treatment of autistic kids and other students. The argument is that if the United States shouldn’t be administering shock treatment to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, how can any organization within the US be allowed do it to children?
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ABC News
abcnews.go.com/Nightline/shock-therapy-massachussetts-school/story?id=11047334
Surgeon Sherwin Nuland discusses the development of electroshock therapy (Editor’s Note: A small amount of NSFW language is used):
youtube.com/watch?v=oEZrAGdZ1i8
