In April of 2012, a very disturbing video was shown in court of a boy being shocked 31 times at the Rotenberg Center. This is a facility for special needs students that operates in Canton, Massachusetts. This center treats individuals with severe disabilities and emotional disorders.
The video showed McCollins being held face down and shocked repeatedly for several hours after refusing to remove his coat. The treatment the facility uses is quite controversial and is in question. Electric shock is used, as well as deprivation of food.
The Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) was sued in April by a former client and victim, Andre McCollins. In April, “McCollins sued the JRC with the charge of having shocked him excessively and caused permanent damage.”
In the trial, the video was presented for the first time, since the occurrence in 2002. In 2002, the 18-year-old was shocked 31 times by the staff at the center. The mother of the victim had this to say about the incident: “I never signed up for him to be tortured, terrorized, and abused,” McCollins’ mother said on the stand. “I had no idea—no idea—that they tortured the children in the school.”
The case has now gained worldwide attention and is currently under investigation. A UN spokesperson has confirmed this with Al Jazeera, and has requested access to the information from U.S. government.
JRC has “900 employees and annual revenues exceeding $56 million, charging $220,000 a year for each student,” according to Mother Jones magazine.
