Electric Shock Torture is Being Used Against Autistic Students

By: Holly Ji

Located in Massachusetts, the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) is a facility for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including many autistic people. The institution uses an electric shock device, an electrical stimulation device (ESD), for punishment against “bad behaviors” like flapping hands, stimming, and involuntary noises or movements, which are all common autistic behaviors that can be handled in another manner. They also use the torture device against actions completely unrelated to autism like swearing, not taking off a coat, standing up without permission, and screaming from the pain of being shocked. The effects from ESD usage are not just temporary pain. It can burn skin, cause immobility, and cause development of PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders. JRC claims the device helps with reducing aggression and self-harm, despite every other institution for disabled people in the US functioning without ESDs. Studies even show that positive supports prevent harmful behaviors more than aversives. In March 2020, the FDA banned the use of ESDs, but recently on July 6, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit overturned the ban through a 2-1 opinion. Congress explicitly denied FDA authority over the states to regulate the practice of medicine. As Senior Circuit Judge David Sentelle said for the majority, “a use-specific ban interferes with a practitioner’s authority by restricting the available range of devices through regulatory action.”

The best way to stop ESD usage now is to pass an act through the House and Senate which would have authority over the federal ruling. The Keeping All Students Safe Act (KASSA) would prohibit nearly all forms of restraint in all fifty states, as well as require school districts to gather data to prevent the use of dangerous devices in the future. If you would like to help to #StopTheShock, spread the information and hashtag throughout social media and visit this website to email your Representative and Senators to pass KASSA. Disabled students deserve care, not torture.