The Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC) calls itself a school and claims the Graduated Electronic Decelerator (GED), a remote control electric shock device designed to inflict pain, is a kind of treatment. Survivors like Jennifer Msumba tell a different story.
Video below of Jennifer’s firsthand experience of the electric shock torture with video description below. #ADAPTandRESIST #StopTheShock
[Video Description: Jennifer Msumba recounts her experience of being at Judge Rotenburg Center for 7 years. In March 2002 Jennifer was admitted to Judge Rotenburg Center (JRC). Jennifer still has nightmares about it.
They used adversives (skin shocks), food deprivation, and social isolation on Jennifer during her time there.
Jennifer started getting skin shocks shortly after she was transferred there from a hospital. It didn’t do a strong enough job according to JRC so they invented their own device, the Graduated Electronic Decelerator(GED).
She describes GED: JRC put 5 electrodes on her body about 6 inches long, typically on the limbs: calves, arms, and stomach. Sometimes on fingertips, feet, or thigh-depending on your level of behavior. Jen has had both. Shocks last about 2 seconds each. They put a backpack on you with a battery and the electrodes on you. They even have a stronger version of their device.
Jennifer says the shock is meant to hurt people. They think if they give you a shock it will eliminate the behavior they deem undesirable. They don’t want you to know the shock is coming. She says sometimes they sneak up and shock you. Sometimes it goes off for no reason due to malfunctioning and says shocks are painful. Says it feels like it’s ripping out your skin and your muscles tense. They even made Jennifer keep it on in the shower and said they make you keep your arm stuck out of the shower so they can keep it on.
Jennifer’s been shocked for hurting herself, waiving her hands. body movements, talking too loud, not answering a staff member in less than 5 seconds, or pretty much anything they deem annoying.
They added to her program that she would go on a 4 point board which is a restraint board and shock for 10 minutes. They would shock 5 times in 10 minutes and you would never know it was coming. The staff member would “walk around like a shark in a circle” and then shock Jennifer when she wouldn’t see it coming. Jen described it as mind and body torture. They would do this in the name of “helping” people.
Jennifer says, you would think it would be illegal and people would go to jail for this but judges were approving of this shock adverse treatment to be used on people. It has to get approved by a judge and Jennifer says everyone is approved and they don’t consider every factor.
She says if you have anxiety or depression it gets worse in Jennifer’s opinion when they use GED on people. It made Jennifer a lot worse and didn’t want to live.
They also do food deprivation at JRC. Jennifer was on it for a short period of time. But saw people on that program for years. If they have one of those behaviors they don’t want you to do. They’ll make you stand up and throw away your meal or lose your next meal or lose pieces of your meal.
She says your meal is divided up into little cups: If you rock in your chair, wave your hands, or talk without permission you have to get up and throw one cup away. If they stop work for 5 seconds, such as staring at the wall-throw your food away. Until you have no food left, she says. At the end of the day they’ll give you a nasty concoction with liver powder all over it. And that’s going to be your food, but you wouldn’t eat it until 11pm that night if you lost all portions of food. And that way of living makes you obsessed about food. When Jennifer finally left she said she was always hoarding food because she was afraid of people taking her food and throwing it away. It took Jennifer a long time to get over that.
That’s what went on at JRC when Jennifer was there. She hears things have changed a bit but knows they are still using skin shock. Jennifer doesn’t know how things are getting better if they are still using skin shock. She says it’s a terrible terrible “treatment” as they’re calling it. Jennifer says it’s a terrible thing to do. It’s scary. Makes you sad, depressed, not want to live, or trust people. She has nightmares every single night. In ever dream she’s wearing the device and they are trying to shock her. In the video Jennifer says it’s almost 2017 and still dreaming about it and it’s still affecting her. At the end of the video Jennifer thanks people for listening and watching.]