Since 1971, the Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton, Massachusetts has served as an institution for individuals with developmental disabilities. To help patents stop dangerous behaviors, the center uses aversive therapy, in which a patient experiences a form of discomfort given by a therapist if the patient engages in perceived inappropriate behaviors. The goal is for the patient to recognize that continued occurrences of such behaviors will result in further exposure to the discomfort given by the therapist, leading them to stop the behavior.
But the Judge Rotenberg center is the only one in the country that performs aversive therapy using a device known as the Graduated Electronic Decelerator (GED). The device is usually worn by a patient on their bodies and, if the patient is exhibiting behaviors the staff deems inappropriate, an electric shock is administered from the device to the patient via a remote control.
The center states the device is only used as a last resort if a patient continues to engage in “self-injurious or violent behavior” after prior attempts at prevention have failed. But several incidents at the center have come to light demonstrating that usage of the device is ineffective at reducing harmful behaviors, left lasting physical and psychological scars on patients, and has often been used as an initial form of treatment.
Legislative efforts to ban the center from continuing this treatment have been unsuccessful, with a Food and Drug Administration ban of the device in March 2020 being overturned by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals one year later, on the grounds that the ban went beyond the FDA’s authority. Luckily, Congress passed the Food and Drug Ombinus Reform Act in December 2022, expanding the FDA’s authority to “ban devices that can be used in situations proven to cause substantial and risk of illness or injury.”
On Tuesday, October 10, 2023 a group called the Stop the Shock will be gathering at the Massachusetts Statehouse to lobby representatives in support of Massachusetts House Bill 180, a bill to prevent any program catering to individuals with disabilities from using strategies that cause physical pain to change behaviors of such individuals. The event will consist of group members visiting representative offices and leading protests outside of the statehouse from 11AM-3PM. This event and passage of this bill is critical so that patient dignity in residential facilities is respected.
