Judge Rotenberg Center is last in U.S. to use electric shock therapy

Graduated electronic decelerator gets mixed reviews
Some families of residents at the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) in Canton, MA cite the graduated electronic decelerator (GED) as a life changing therapy tool that improved their children’s quality of life. Some patients who were recipients of the therapy have a very different perspective.
Both sides testified last month before the Massachusetts Legislature to voice their opposition and support of Bill H.180, which would ban the use of aversive therapies — such as the GED’s electric skin shocks — on disabled individuals.
JRC is the last institution in the United States to use such electric shock therapy. The GED was developed by Matthew Israel, Ph.D., the founder of the center, and is intend...