judge rotenberg educational center judge rotenberg educational center the judge rotenberg center (founded in 1971 as the behavior research institute) is an institution in canton, massachusetts, united states, for people with developmental disabilities, emotional disorders, and autistic-like behaviors. the center has been condemned for torture by the united nations special rapporteur on torture. the jrc is known for its use of the graduated electronic decelerator (ged), a device that administers electric shocks to residents through a remote control. the device was designed by matthew israel, the institute's founder. while the fda issued a formal ban on the ged in 2020, the device continued to be used on some residents pending an administrative stay for the duration of the covid-19 pandemic. in july 2021, the d.c. circuit court of appeals ruled that the fda could not issue a "partial stay" but must issue a blanket ban or no ban at all, thus allowing the jrc to continue using the device on 55 people in the meantime. judge rotenberg educational center inc.abbreviationjrcfounded1971 (1971)foundermatthew israeltypeprivate, special educationlegal status501(c)(3)locationcanton, massachusetts, united statesrevenue us$70.4 million (2017)websitewww.judgerc.org formerly calledbehavior research institute (1971–1994) the judge rotenberg center's behavior modification program uses the methods of applied behavior analysis and relies heavily on aversion therapy. aversives used by the jrc include contingent food programs, long-term restraints, sensory deprivation, and ged shocks. while jrc claims to rely mainly on positive behavior support and contends that aversives are used only as a last resort when positive intervention has failed, multiple state reports have found that aversives are used for minor infractions, and that no significant positive behavior support programs exist. in a video that surfaced in 2011, jrc staff tied an autistic boy face-down to a four-point board and shocked him 31 times at the highest amperage setting. the first shock was given for failing to take off his coat when asked, and the remaining 30 shocks were given for screaming and tensing up while being shocked. the boy was later hospitalized with third degree burns and acute stress disorder, but no action was taken against any of the staff as neither the law nor jrc policy had been broken. in a separate incident, two residents were awoken from their beds at night, restrained, and shocked 29 and 77 times, respectively, due to false allegations that they had misbehaved. the center's founder, matthew israel, was indicted on criminal charges for ordering a video of the incident destroyed and was forced to resign his position at the jrc as part of a plea deal to avoid prosecution. there have been repeated attempts to shut down the center by autism rights advocates, disability rights advocates, and human rights advocates. organizations that oppose the center include the autistic self advocacy network, disability rights international, and community alliance for the ethical treatment of youth. six residents have died at the institute since it was founded in 1971. neurodiversity paradigm philosophy bodily autonomy disability rights movement independent living movement self-advocacy organizations aspies for freedom autism network international autistic self advocacy network national autistic society events autism acceptance day & month autism history month autistic pride day autscape disability day of mourning weird pride day issues ableism anti-autism all in a row applied behavior analysis augmentative and alternative communication autism-friendly autism speaks communication shutdown community integration controversies in autism deinstitutionalisation disability-selective abortion double empathy problem ethical challenges to autism treatment eugenics facilitated communication filicide inclusion in education inclusion as a right judge rotenberg educational center ole ivar lovaas social model of disability societal and cultural aspects of autism universal design for learning people alex plank ari ne'eman damian milton daniel lightwing devon price donna williams govy jim sinclair john elder robison judy singer julia bascom lydia brown mel baggs michelle dawson morénike giwa onaiwu morton ann gernsbacher roy richard grinker shain neumeier stephen shore steve silberman temple grandin william davenport films citizen autistic loving lampposts neurotypical criticism pro-cure perspective national council on severe autism matthew belmonte manuel casanova jill escher michael fitzpatrick bruce hall thomas a. mckean david miedzianik jonathan mitchell jonathan shestack alison singer history 1971-1976: founding and early years in 1971, matthew israel founded the center as the behavior research institute (bri) in providence, rhode island. initially, it had just two residents, one with autism and the other with schizophrenia. in 1975, the bri expanded to include group homes in massachusetts, and in 1976 it opened another branch in california. 1976-1981: behavior research institute of california israel opened the california branch of the bri without a license to operate a group home, without a license to practice psychology in the state of california, and without a license to use aversives. the institute used aversives on residents there nonetheless. when the institute applied for a license to operate in 1977, the california department of health rejected the application, citing lack of meaningful peer review and the unnecessary use of painful aversives. the department also found that there was insufficient evidence to show that israel was "reputable and responsible" and that he had the ability to comply with regulations. without a license, the center was scheduled to shut down. the day after the scheduled shutdown, a group of parents reopened the institute as a co-op, moving israel's official position of executive director to consultant. the organization then changed its name to the behavior research institute of california, and applied for a license to operate a group home and a permit to use aversives. with the aid of then-california governor pat brown (whose law firm was hired to represent the center), they received the license to operate, as well as the only permit ever granted by the state of california for a group home to use physical aversives on its residents. the institute was awarded $35,000 a year per child by the state, the highest rate of any community facility in california. after the 1981 death of a resident, california launched an investigation into the institute and its practices. the investigation revealed various abuses against the residents, both physical and psychological. residents were beaten, restrained, humiliated, and not adequately fed or cared for. residents often bore extreme bruising, which staff had been trained to conceal from doctors and family members. as a result of the investigation, the institute was banned from using physical aversives, as well as from using restraints and withholding meals as punishment. additionally, matthew israel was banned from entering the facility. judy weber, the mother of one of the institute's residents who would go on to become israel's second wife, took over the operation of the center and later renamed it as tobinworld. the center denied all allegations made by the state report. it looks horrible. but because you're accused of something that does not mean these things happen.— judy webber-israel 1981-1994: bri in rhode island and massachusetts as early as 1979, authorities in new york state had published two reports on the behavior research institute in which signs of physical and mental abuse were documented. one report found that the institute's methods were only effective through the means of coercion, and that the residents relapsed into their old behavior as soon as the immediate threat of punishment was gone. while corporal punishment was against the law in massachusetts, the institute was granted special permission to use aversives in 1983. the institute was welcomed by some state officials due to its near-zero rejection rate. in 1993, the massachusetts department of mental retardation said that the institution had "repeatedly failed to comply with a number of state regulations" and threatened to take away its certification. 1994-present: judge rotenberg center in 1994, the center changed its name to the judge rotenberg educational center "to honor the memory of the judge helped to preserve program from extinction at the hands of state licensing officials in the 1980s." jrc moved from its original location near providence, rhode island, to its current facilities in canton, massachusetts, in 1996. in 2011, israel was forced to resign from his position as director of the judge rotenberg center as part of a deferred prosecution agreement after being indicted on criminal charges related to the abuse of residents. six residents have died of preventable causes at the center since it opened in 1971. as the result of a 2011 ruling by the massachusetts department of early education and care, governor deval patrick's administration imposed regulations that only residents whose treatment plans approved the ged before that time were still permitted to receive it, but new residents enrolled into the jrc were no longer allowed, by law, to receive the ged as part of their plan. the massachusetts department of developmental services is responsible for providing the jrc with its license to use aversives, including electric shocks. behavior modification the judge rotenberg center provides behavioral treatment using the methodologies of applied behavior analysis (aba). jrc's behavior modification program relies heavily on aversion therapy, with treatment directed exclusively towards promoting normalization. aversives used to modify behavior include: food deprivation, restraint, solitary confinement, and ged skin shocks. while the center often claims that it uses aversives only as last resort against self-harm and aggression, these claims have been refuted. reports by multiple government agencies have found that the center regularly uses aversives on children with no history of self-harm or aggression, often for minor infractions. several former residents of the center who used to be on the ged have successfully transitioned to positive behavior support programs elsewhere. there is medical consensus that positive-only support is both safer and more effective than the use of aversives. contingent skin shocks further information: graduated electronic decelerator a patent drawing for the ged the center has stated that the ged was only used as a last resort to prevent violent or self-injurious behavior when positive behavioral support had failed. however, a 2006 report by the new york state education department found that the device was regularly used when there was no threat of serious physical harm or injury, including for: failing to be neat wrapping one's foot around the leg of a chair stopping work for more than ten seconds closing one's eyes for more than five seconds minor acts of noncompliance other reported reasons for administering shocks included: using the bathroom without permission urinating on oneself after being refused the right to use the bathroom screaming while being shocked attempting to remove the ged the report also found that despite the center's claims, no significant positive behavioral support program existed. additionally, the report found that the ged could be programmed to give automated skin shocks in response to targeted behaviors. for example, some residents were made to sit on ged seats that would automatically administer skin shocks for the target behavior of standing up, while others wore waist holsters that would administer skin shocks if the resident pulled a hand out of the holster. shocks were administered continuously until the target behavior stopped occurring. the center did not have approval from the united states food and drug administration (fda) to use the device in this way.: 8 an fda investigation found that some parents and guardians were pressured into giving consent to put their child on the ged, that they were not provided with accurate information about the device's risks, and that other options were not exhausted before resorting to the ged. the agency also found that the ged could cause both physical and psychological harm, including pain, burns, tissue damage, depression, fear, and aggression. furthermore, they concluded that the ged device may have caused one resident to enter a catatonic state, and that it can in some cases worsen the behaviors that it claims to treat. greg miller, a former teacher's assistant at the jrc, reported that staff were expected to administer shocks without consideration for the circumstances in which it occurred. staff were monitored by cameras, and feared losing their jobs if they refused to deliver the expected shocks. "there were no exceptions..." he said. "we had to follow court-approved orders." residents were made to wear the ged devices at all hours, even during showers and sleep. residents report that they were sometimes awoken by shocks in the night, which were administered for reasons including nighttime incontinence, tensing up while asleep, and having broken a rule earlier in the day. resident would also be shocked if