Action For Autism

Judge Rotenberg Center - every law they break

To follow on from yesterday’s post on the JRC, it sems that while it may be legal under Massachussetts State Law to detain people against their will and torture them with electric shocks, it is illegal to record their screams without their express consent. This email explains it all. It sounds petty compared to the daily misery endured by the inmates at JRC. But, hey, whatever helps to close them down. Please respond directly to Ken Mollins if you have any information pertaining to this or to the grand jury investigation of abuses at the Judge Rotenberg Center.

Dear fellow advocates: 

This latest letter from Attorney Kenneth Mollins exposes the illegal practice of recording all conversations at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in violation of Massachusetts State Law.
Please forward this letter to others and post on lists.  Permission is granted by Kenneth Mollins.

If any readers have had their privacy violated at JRC you may want to contact Kenneth Mollins, or myself and I will forward your information to Ken. Perhaps this can be a concerted effort. You may also want to address your own personal letter to Attorney General Martha Coakley if you have been violated in this manner, or if you are aware of other criminal matters at JRC.

Thank you, for your active advocacy. Please remember that change can only occur if we take action! Our silence is only golden for Dr. Israel.

May 16, 2008

Via Facsimile (508)795-1991

Attorney General Martha Coakley
One Exchange Place, 3rd Floor
Worcester, MA 01608

Re:  Judge Rotenberg Center

Dear Attorney General Coakley:

 I am writing concerning ongoing apparent criminal activity that is occurring on a daily basis at the Judge Rotenberg Center (“JRC”) in Canton, Massachusetts, and where numerous people are being subjected to said criminal activities on a daily basis. Mass. Ann. Laws ch. 272, §99 states:

It is a crime to record any conversation, whether oral or wire, without the consent of all parties in Massachusetts…

 I have spoken with numerous prior employees of the JRC who all advise me that the entire school and residences are subject to the recording of conversations taken therein. These recordings not only apply to the students and faculty, but to the mailman, the person who delivers lunch, and to any other person entering the facility, all of whom are being recorded and replayed without their consent. I was in the facility back in early 2006 to meet with a client, and thereafter I was advised by both staff and parents of students in the facility that my conversations were recorded without my consent. In addition, I have spoken with others who have been in the facility without consenting to their conversations being recorded.

 The criminality described herein is made worse by an examination of the release signed by the parents of students attending this center. I am enclosing herewith a copy of the applicable portion of the release which is the same release signed from 2003 to the present, the section enumerated as “H. Filming/Photographs.” The fact that audio taping and recordings are made during therapy sessions is expressed, but in the paragraph consenting to same, the audio portion is specifically deleted, and the consent goes to video taping and/or photograph of the student. This omission specifically vitiates any consent by the parent of any student or parent from September 2003 to the present. As such, I believe there are thousands of victims of criminality in violation of the aforestated section, of which I am one. In addition, in speaking with March Network, the company that does the video surveillance at JRC, they have also advised me that all conversations that take place in said center are recorded.

 I ask that you immediately cause this criminality to cease and to prosecute the thousands of alleged criminal acts that appear to have occurred at this center and as a victim I hereby demand that you seek both monetary and criminal sanctions against those for acting in concert to commit a violation of the aforesaid criminal statute.

 I am aware that you are currently investigating the JRC and that a grand jury has been convened to investigate criminal acts. It might save the taxpayers of Massachusetts time and expense if you present evidence to a grand jury of the criminal acts revealed herein. I will be happy to testify as well will others I have spoken with concerning same.
 
Very truly yours,
 
LAW OFFICE OF KENNETH M. MOLLINS, P.C.

By: 
KENNETH M. MOLLINS
KMM/mc
cc: MA Governor Deval L. Patrick
NYS Attorney General, Andrew M. Cuomo

May 17th, 2008 Posted by Mike | Autism rights, Judge Rotenberg Center | 4 comments

Judge Rotenberg Center - action at last?

This comment was  posted to an old blog post of mine about the Judge Rotenberg Center.

I have a 25 year old son with severe autism, he is non verbal and is self abusive, self injury, aggressive, he’s 6′1″ too. I’d rather DIE than ever put my son into the JRC!! you need behavior modifaction! no punishments! now my son is doing much better I forgot to tell you those really bad behaviors had happened more when he was 15 yrs old, altho they still come up. I love my son with all my heart and I hate the fact he’s in a group home now. I live in R.I. I wish I could take him home forever. Thanks for reading.

If you read this press report you will understand the strength of her feeling. A prank phone call fooled the staff into administering a series of electric shocks to two unfortunate inmates for alleged misdemeanours committed earlier in the evening. This week the Boston Globe published a follow-up story. 

Rotenberg records reportedly are seized

By Patricia Wen
Globe Staff
May 15, 2008

State Police seized documents late last week from the offices of the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton that are related to a prank phone call last summer that led two students to wrongfully receive dozens of punishing electrical shocks, according to two people with direct knowledge of the investigation

My immediate response is “Wrongfully?” So under what circumstances should students “rightfully” receive electric shocks? My second thought is that, even if one were to accept the premise that contingent electric shock is an effective and acceptable method of behaviour modification, what sort of staff would sanction this to take place hours after the alleged infractions, and on the basis of a phone call? The original report in the Boston Globe tells us.

Six staff members worked the overnight shift at the group home at 66 Kevin Clancy Way, a tan house located in a quiet cul-de-sac in Stoughton. Five of the six had already worked a double or triple shift, while the sixth worker showed up at 10 p.m. None had much experience caring for emotionally disturbed boys at the group home. Most had been on the job less than three months.

Inexperienced, overworked staff, that’s who. But why should they comply with such a bizarre request? Again the original Boston Globe report is invaluable.

The staff was “apprehensive” and confused about the caller and discussed what to do, but they went ahead with the punishments because they were told by the caller that they would be “evaluated” if they did not obey, the report said. The caller, who made a series of calls between 2 and 4:45 a.m., had detailed knowledge of the inside of the house and led the staff to believe that he was watching them on surveillance screens at the central office.

Inexperienced, overworked staff who were only following orders and were fearful of the consequences if they did not obey.  Hmm. This is abusive and bullying on so many levels. The latest report updates us on a grand jury investigation

led by the office of Attorney General Martha Coakley, said Kenneth Mollins, a New York lawyer who has filed several lawsuits against the school and who said he spoke to a representative of Coakley’s office about the Rotenberg investigation. Mollins said he was told the grand jury is also examining possible financial improprieties by the school.

Ah yes, follow the money. JRC has around 250 inmates at $250,000 a year. They are plainly not spending it on quality staff. So where does the money go?

Ernest Corrigan, a spokesman for the school, did not confirm that a seizure of documents had occurred last week. He said only that school officials have been cooperative with state and local police ever since they reported the prank phone call to police last summer.

“We’ve been supportive of the investigation,” he said.

As a mark of their “cooperation” they destroyed the surveillance tapes of last years abuse even after being told by investigating officials to preserve them. For too long the JRC has got away with the abuse of autistic and other vulnerable young people. It remains to be seen if they will get away with abuse of the legal process.

May 17th, 2008 Posted by Mike | Autism, Judge Rotenberg Center, ethics | 4 comments