It’s like a scene from a movie. A person is tied down to a table receiving shock, after shock, after shock. But this time, it’s really happening, and the Judge Rotenberg Center is an exemplification of this.
The shocking method began to be utilized when Matthew Israel, the founder of JRC, got in legal trouble for inflicting physical abuse on JRC students around 1985. Because of this, he resorted to another method of inflicting pain in an attempt to implement aversion therapy. Shocks as high as 90 mA are used to punish disabled students and the lowest shock setting on the machine is twice the toleration threshold for adults. These shocks are used on 20%-50% of the students at this school, of which 90% of 275 are minorities. Students are shocked for a variety of minor infractions as well as actions that they cannot control. These include taking a break from work for more than 10 seconds, swearing, not following rules, soiling themselves after being denied restroom access, and screaming while being shocked. Sadly, many of the students at this school are attached to GEDs, shocking machines, 24/7. Other forms of punishment include food deprivation, sensory deprivation, and solitary confinement. Specifically, food deprivation looks like this: “At the end of the day, they’ll give you a nasty concoction with liver powder all over it. And that’s going to be your food, but you wouldn’t eat it until 11 p.m. that night if you lost all portions of food. And that way of living makes you obsessed about food. (WSWS)”
One student, Andre McCollins, was shocked 31 times in 7 hours for refusing to take off his jacket. After this experience, he was unable to eat or walk for days. He also had trouble speaking for one month after the traumatic experience which left him with 3rd degree burn marks. According to WSWS, “The session went on for hours while staff rotated electrodes around his body to lessen burn marks.” Although he continued to beg the employees to stop, his pleas were dismissed and according to his mother, who sued JRC, he has yet to fully recover. Another former student, Jen Msumba, claimed the following, according to WSWS: She “called her time at JRC “mind and body torture.” She said electrodes were applied under students’ fingers or the bottom of their feet to increase the pain. She recounted being shocked for “waving her hands, body movements, talking too loud, not answering a staff member in less than 5 seconds, or pretty much anything they deem annoying.” Another student experienced 88,719 aversive experiences before being murdered. Overall, 6 students have been killed at this school.
A number of renowned institutions back the notion that this practice is inhumane. The Disability Rights International demonstrated their case to the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, firstly demonstrating the harsh practices conducted at JRC. As claimed by the WSWS, It stated, “These practices—particularly when used in people with disabilities and children—constitute cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and torture.” It objected to the state law which permitted the policies and implored the body, “Under international law, the prohibition of torture is absolute and cannot be justified for any reason.” Furthermore, the UN got involved and condemned the practices of this school and designated them a violation of the UN Convention against Torture. Additionally, the FDA banned the use of GEDs which can result in stress, depression, anxiety, aggression, and more. Despite the effort to ban the use of GEDs, things didn't go as planned seeing as the FDA was regarded as interfering with the practice of medicine. More negative news includes that the Washington DC District Court of Appeals struck down the ban of deliberate, painful shocking on mentally impaired students, because of a lawsuit filed by the JRC.
You would think that such a cruel institution would have no support in this increasingly just world. Well, you’re wrong. This institution attains millions in tax money and is well-protected despite legal attempts to shut down the school. “Between 2000 and 2005, the facility’s annual revenues grew from $18 million to more than $50 million.” The “nonprofit” school brought in $79 million in 2020, handsomely paying its president Glenda Crookes $354,000 and its director of human resources $224,000, with 11 other executives making between $100,000 to $200,000.(WSWS)”
It’s hard not to feel helpless when something like this is occurring. Nevertheless, I will provide you with things you can do to help. As you choose to partake or not to partake in these action items, put yourself in the shoes of these students. One signature, one phone call, or one Instagram post, can make all the difference. Thank you for reading.
Action Items
Ban the Use of GEDs -
Sources:
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