I just read this article and feel truly sick to my stomach. Mother Jones magazine reports on a school in Massachusetts that uses electric shock to "treat" children with attention-deficit disorder, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, and mental retardation.
The school, called the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, does not use medication or any form of psychiatric treatment. It is run by a man named Matthew Israel, who bases his techniques on B.F. Skinner's behavioral modification research.
States and school districts pay $220,000 a year for each student--our taxes are going to support this torture center. There have been many attempts to shut down the facility, but it continues to thrive.
I'm horrified that this type of thing is allowed to continue in our own country--it's state-sanctioned torture of the worst kind, on the members of our society who need the most compassion.
I'm going to do some research to see what I can do to express my opinion about it--write to state senators, something--and I'll let you know what I find out.
The school, called the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, does not use medication or any form of psychiatric treatment. It is run by a man named Matthew Israel, who bases his techniques on B.F. Skinner's behavioral modification research.
States and school districts pay $220,000 a year for each student--our taxes are going to support this torture center. There have been many attempts to shut down the facility, but it continues to thrive.
I'm horrified that this type of thing is allowed to continue in our own country--it's state-sanctioned torture of the worst kind, on the members of our society who need the most compassion.
I'm going to do some research to see what I can do to express my opinion about it--write to state senators, something--and I'll let you know what I find out.
An extensive response to Ms. Gonnerman's article can be found here: http://www.judgerc.org/ResponsetoGonnermanArticle.pdf
ReplyDeleteMatthew L. Israel, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Judge Rotenberg Educational Center
www.judgerc.org