Massachusetts Appealing Court Decision Permitting the Use of Aversive Therapies at JRC

The Massachusetts Office of Health and Human Services has announced that they have made the decision to appeal the court decision that permits the use of “aversive” therapies by the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (JRC).  According to the enterprise news story, “The JRC has consistently defended the shocks they use as part of a rewards system, getting students who are difficult to work with to stop harming themselves or others. Parents who have children at the school also hail them as therapies.”

In a statement this week, the JRC said, “We are confident that the Court made the correct decision based on the expert and family testimony and other evidence presented to it and we are certain the Court’s decision will be affirmed.”

The Massachusetts decision may not matter if the FDA acts on its 2016 proposal to ban the therapy at JRC. The FDA said it is still reviewing comments on the proposed ban.