Comments on: Why Students Praise the Judge Rotenberg Center

By: Virginia

Virginia — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 14:27:38 +0000

“JRC you bastards cannot run,
because we of sound mind are taking you down.
We are good and evil never beats us.
We are strong
and you cannot defeat us.
We
are bigger then you
in mind and soul and heart.
And though you think we can’t,
we will take you apart
to never come back and spread fear,
for we are
the ones who’ll give you your demise,
FOREVER.”
(yes, it’s a parody of the Steven universe theme, shut up.)

By: jacobp81

jacobp81 — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:40:13 +0000

This blog looks familiar, I remember reading this before, but I don’t remember where, maybe it was here. I’ve see some of the Why Students Complain Videos. JRC is messed up and needs to be shut down.

By: JacobP81

JacobP81 — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 06:35:13 +0000

You can watch the JRC video’s “Why Students Complain” even though JRC took it off there sight. Just use the Wayback Machine (http://web.archive.org/).

http://web.archive.org/web/20060701100741/http://www.judgerc.org/why_students_complain.htm

It’s interesting to watch the JRC staff talk about all the bad things about there program (like no concealing or group) and trying to justify it.

These vids (I feel) do more harm then good to JRC’s image, that’s probably why they removed them.

By: Cheryl Richard

Cheryl Richard — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:10:53 +0000

Also, please add that, for $56 million a year to take care of 250-260 children, people can surely find safe, effective, humane ways to work with children that do not violate their rights and subject them to abuse. For even the most extreme cases, where children are extremely self-injurious or violent, at $220,000 a head per year, I’ll bet some creative people could find very effective, humane ways to work with children

By: Cheryl Richard

Cheryl Richard — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:07:59 +0000

Please write your complaints about the JRC to the Massachusetts Committee on Families and Children before October 27, when the use of aversives will be voted on in the Senate. Also, please complain to the Committee that the survivors, graduates, have not been contacted and given the opportunity to voice their complaints. Please make these complaints to the Federal government’s department of investigations of child abuse and schools. (Sorry, I don’t know the correct name-you’ll have to call someone in Fed govt. or look it up online.) The government needs to hear from the affected community. Any past investigation they’ve done of the JRC is inadequate because they did not give the surviving graduates an opportunity to speak-they did not contact all graduates and tell them they needed to voice their complaints. Thus, any investigation by the Federal government must be redone. Please state this.

By: Jackie

Jackie — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 00:57:16 +0000

Thanks for your insight. This not only helps me understand more why people who are victimized in places like the JRC are defensive of it.

It also has helped me understand the type of psychology that is behind people who defend spanking their children, by saying they were spanked and turned out fine. I’m now thinking perhaps this is because they were brainwashed by their parents to see spanking as acceptable, and thus damaging their child’s ability to discipline their children appropriately when they’re older.

By: ballastexistenz

ballastexistenz — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 22:57:17 +0000

That’s good, but isn’t there a legislator who has a relative there and always manages to block stuff like that?

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 22:45:55 +0000

H.R. 109 was just introduced to the state legislature to put a stop to the sort of practices employed at the JRC. AP wire story, local story, and another local story

By: Jackie

Jackie — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 18:56:42 +0000

Hall – Since you worked there, can you verify: (1) the 24 Volt GED’s have spread electrodes – which means anyone receiving a GED actually receives 2 electric shocks? (2) GED’s have been placed on the fingertips and soles of the big toes for some students who did not respond to the normal placement on arms, legs, and abdomen?

By: hall

hall — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:41:26 +0000

I am a former employee at the Judge Rotenberg Center. I have spent a many of years at JRC as a Direct Care staff member. I can tell you that the place is a nightmare. I am concerned for the safety of the students and the staff members that work there. I concur with “Digga” basically they treat staff exactly as they treat students – by the use of positive & aversive therapy. The brainwashing, so to speak, occurs on every level. Even to little things like having personal items on your desk or clutter (a HUGE no-no)… “Matty” Isreal’s petty obsessions of decor and behaviorism has made the Center a horrible place of employment. Minor infractions warrant discipline such as leaving clutter on your desk. Punishment for staff can result in points deducted from your “Bi-weekly evaluation”, probation (which means staff are not eligible for promotion), suspention (which happens often), demotion (again which happens at an alarming rate), or termination (often). With all of the “policies” put in place at the behest of “Matty” has not made JRC an ideal place to work. This had left JRC severely under manned by 2001. In Response JRC has hired basically anyone who can read and will pass a state required background check. JRC has been left in the hands of “direct care staff were mostly just people (mostly immigrants, actually) desperate for work.” (Takeshi) Direct care staff members who are under qualified and under motivated. Staff are working not for the students but for the pay check. Matty’s answer: tighten up the behaviorism for staff members. For the one’s who care about their job and the students in their care at JRC they lose out. JRC has lost many qualified, caring, and excellent staff over the years. The administration does not care about quality as much as quantity.

With Recent situations with NY Board of Ed and MA attemting to remove students and prevent the use of the GED has prompted the Adminsistration to abondon its founding principles and focus more on sell, sell, sell. It is to the point where it will lie to prospective clients, promising certain amenities that it is not able to provide. Qualified staff is a joke. Most employees directly responsible for the care of the students are from the same age bracket and social background at the students. This has breached the boundry line between staff and student in an alarmingly inappropriate manor.

The events of recent years, accusations of abuse, instances of abuse are directly related to the incompetence of the staff members hired and the incompetence of the administration to deal with it.

JRC was once a great place to work. A great place for emotionally and mentally disturbed patients. I was once proud to be a member of the JRC team. The quality of staff i had once served with was incredible. The level of service provided by JRC was impressive. The quality of life for the students (with the use of the GED included). Now i am proud to have left it. I am not opposed to the use of physical aversives, in fact I would recomend them in some cases. What I am opposed to is the mismanagement of a company with a product so crucial and controversial. I do not agree that JRC should be shut down, I conclude that JRC should take a look at itself and rethink many of their policies and bring JRC back to the specatular place it has the potential to be.