End Skin Shock Conditioning of Autistic People at JRC

#StopTheShock: A Campaign Exposing the Dangers of Aversive Shock Conditioning at the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) in Canton, Massachusetts and Supporting Legislative Action!

Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC):

The JRC, the only facility in the United States, Canada, and Europe that continues to use Electric Skin Shock Devices on Autistic and Disabled Individuals as a form of Behavior Modification

Electric Shock Device:

The Graduated Electronic Decelerator (GED) is a device that delivers a powerful and painful shock to Autistic & Disabled individuals who behave in ways that are deemed inappropriate by staff at the center.

While the JRC contends that they only use the shock device for dangerous behaviors their own literature states they can predict a dangerous behavior and will shock for things as simple as raising a hand, standing up, making noises or stimming, a self soothing behavior used by people on the spectrum such as flapping their hands.

The GED has been known to burn skin and is traumatic for individuals exposed to the device. Shock therapy lacks an effective method for withdrawal, and it is highly likely that residents are unable to connect their behavior to the shocks, leading to unwanted side effects. The GED is designed to be six times stronger than a police taser and is worn 24/7 including sleeping and showering. The use of aversive conditioning through electric shocks is not only ineffective but also a violation of basic human rights.

Cost & Funding:

JRC is a non-profit organization paying no taxes to our state. It costs $291,414 per year to keep ONE resident at the JRC, paid for in tax dollars. For the fiscal year 2021 the center got $89 million or 98% of its total public support and revenue from state government agencies.

In September of 2021 DCFS began sending kids taken from abusive conditions to this abusive facility and by the fiscal year end, they spent $2.8 million. Government grants totaled $4,651,447. Massachusetts must do better!

Currently the JRC operates under the protection of a thirty-six year old consent decree. That decree was entered, and has remained in place, after State agencies resorted to pretextual and bad faith regulatory practices to disrupt JRC's operations in the 1980s and 1990s. The State agencies that remain bound by the decree have since moved for its termination without success.

In 2013 the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture concluded that the GED violates the UN Convention Against Torture. The Association For Behavior Analyst International (ABAI) stated “we strongly oppose the use of contingent electric skin shock (CESS) under any condition”. Regardless of these statements, over the past few years, many attempts have been hit with roadblocks by our state courts and politicians.

FUNDS NEEDED FOR:

Community engagement to educate the general public on this disability rights issue. Expenses are related to event planning and include:

Printed Materials,

Sign Making Materials,

Professional Signs,

Food and Drinks,

Art Exhibits,

STS Shirts

Stickers, etc...

As of August 20 we have $350 to spend but it's not enough to get all the materials necessary to make this event as impactful as possible.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! WE CAN'T DO THIS ALONE!

NEXT EVENT:

Date: October 5, 2024

Time: 1-4 PM

Place: Judge Rotenberg Educational Center

250 Turnpike St

Canton, MA 02021

Google Sign up sheet (Fill out to ensure we have a shirt available for all who attend): https://forms.gle/SxCsG12V7Gh5HTnd9

Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/share/4dXzsPajR7JSdhtH/

MOST RECENT ATTEMPTS TO BAN THE DEVICE:

In March 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally banned the use of Electric Shock Devices (ESD) in particular contexts, saying the devices provide an “unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury.” The FDA’s ban only extended to the use of ESDs for treating self-injurious or aggressive behavior, still allowing their use for the treatment of smoking addiction, among other purposes.

On July 6, 2021 In a 2-1 decision the Washington DC Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ban stating the FDA’s ban violated federal law by interfering with the authority of healthcare practitioners to practice medicine, paving the way for the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (JRC) in Canton, Massachusetts, to continue its electric shock therapy.

In December 2022 the FDA was legally granted the right to ban the device in an end of year omnibus bill. They have finally reissued the ban proposal on March 26, 2024.

On September 7, 2023 the Supreme Judicial Court Judge ruled in favor of the JRC in regards to the most recent appeal to the consent decree stating "If the department seeks to get out from under the decree, it must wait for a legislative solution".

On February 7, 2024 the legislative solution we have been working on, Massachusetts House Bill H 180 , was killed by politicians who sat in the hearing and listened to 40 people testify in favor of the bill including many professionals in the field of treatment who have been successful with positive treatment on similar individuals to those at the JRC, survivors of the shock treatment who were told they would be dead without the treatment but are now in positive environments and are flourishing, autistic individuals who have received negative ABA “therapy” , State agency officials, disability organizations etc..

On March 26, 2024 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) again proposed to ban electrical stimulation devices (ESDs) intended for self-injurious behavior (SIB) or aggressive behavior (AB). FDA has determined these devices present an unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury that cannot be corrected or eliminated by labeling. The comment period ended on May 28, 2024

On June 11, 2024 Andy Harris, Chair of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Subcommittee added language that is designed to exclude the JRC from the FDA's device ban authority.

“SEC. 722. Section 516(a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. section 360f(a)) is amended—by inserting ‘‘, except for devices that are authorized or ordered for an individual by a court of competent jurisdiction’’

In May of 2024 S2 785 An Act to provide more timely treatment of inpatient mental health care, was completely rewritten and became extremely dangerous. The current bill essentially proposes bypassing the hearing in the event that someone is seen as at risk for "immediate and irreversible" harm thus allowing for forced drugging or extreme treatment, including the GED, without hesitation.

The battle to make this practice illegal and protect our most vulnerable citizens has been fought by state agencies, politicians, human rights orgs, and hundreds of advocates, spanning across not only the USA but the world for decades.

FUNDS NEEDED FOR:

Community engagement to educate the general public on this disability rights issue. Expenses are related to event planning and include:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! WE CAN'T DO THIS ALONE!