About time

[Parts]

   
Feds probe school's shock treatments   
    
United Press International  February 25, 2010

Federal officials said they are looking into whether a Massachusetts special needs school violates the law by using electrical shocks to discipline students.

The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton will be subjected to its first federal investigation following complaints from more than 30 disability rights organizations nationwide, the Boston Globe reported Thursday.

The groups said in a September 2009 letter the center's use of "painful and dehumanizing behavioral techniques violates all principles of human rights.'' They want to end the facility's shock therapy use, which state investigations so far have been unable to do.

The school's approximately 200 students have emotional issues, autism or developmental disabilities. Some are at risk of hurting themselves or have criminal records. They wear electrodes attached to their skin, and staff members can administer a two-second electrical shock through a remote hand-held device, the Globe reported.

Any child who gets skin-shocks does so only under a court-approved plan, said Michael Flammia, a lawyer for the Rotenberg Center.

The U.S. Justice Department's Disability Rights Section will look into whether the Rotenberg Center is in violation of laws on the fair treatment of disabled people, said Renee Wohlenhaus, the department's deputy chief.

Polyxane Cobb, a member of the Coalition for the Legal Rights of People with Disabilities in Boston, said she expects the inquiry to be meaningful and is hopeful the Justice Department will stop the shock discipline.

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2010 and this still goes on glad the Feds are looking into it

[odeon]

Maybe they'll finally do something about it. Put those in charge in jail, for example. 

[Parts]

Maybe they'll finally do something about it. Put those in charge in jail, for example. 

If it was anyone else shocking kids they would

['andersom']

about time indeed.

[TheoK]

What the hell? They don't even give shock therapy to mental patients here, except ECT - under anaestesia that is.

[McGiver]

judge roten berg: sounds jewish to me.

oh the irony of jewish people using shock therapy.  i remember i e-mailed the weisenthal museum of tolerance about this and they never even got back tome.

the jewish defense league probably stepped in.

[Al Swearegen]

I think incarceration a little less severe than they deserve. I think they should strip them naked and attache electrodes to their nuts and give them a shock for each Autistic they have done the same to. Then they should put them in general population 

[odeon]

 

[El]

Heard this on the news this morning, like it was new information.  Had me starting off my day by yelling at the TV.  Whatever your thoughts on aversives, there's no way to make what theh do OK.  They're a giant fucking toture camp.

judge roten berg: sounds jewish to me.

oh the irony of jewish people using shock therapy.  i remember i e-mailed the weisenthal museum of tolerance about this and they never even got back tome.

the jewish defense league probably stepped in.

It's named after the judge who kept it going in the 80s, one of the many times it was under scrutinty, I think.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Rotenberg_Educational_Center

The security they have on staff there is creepy too; I think they have nondisclosure agreements and stuff like that.