Letter Asks Amer. Psych. Assoc. to Condemn Torture – Against People with Disabilities

In August, the American Psychological Association (APA) made some news when it passed a resolution affirming that its members shouldn’t be involved with “Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” toward those termed “enemy combatants.” Many of us who are familiar with practices that are implicitly sanctioned by the APA took note of the narrowly-defined class of individuals who were affected by this document. So, a lot of us applaud the stand against aiding torture and cruel treatment of state prisoners, but aren’t surprised that the cautions aren’t applied to people with disabilities.

Recently, Mother Jones magazine became the latest member of the media to shine the spotlight on the cruel and inhumane treatment inflicted on students with disabilities at the infamous Judge Rotenberg Center in its feature story “School of Shock.” Here’s an excerpt of what goes on at the school, under “programs” that psychologists sign off on:

Employees shocked him for aggressive behavior, he says, but also for minor misdeeds, like yelling or cursing. Each shock lasts two seconds. “It hurts like hell,” Rob says. (The school’s staff claim it is no more painful than a bee sting; when I tried the shock, it felt like a horde of wasps attacking me all at once. Two seconds never felt so long.) On several occasions, Rob was tied facedown to a four-point restraint board and shocked over and over again by a person he couldn’t see. The constant threat of being zapped did persuade him to act less aggressively, but at a high cost. “I thought of killing myself a few times,” he says.

The reason we’re writing about this is that Derrick Jeffries has written a letter demanding that the prohibitions the APA extend the prohibition on participation in torture and cruel, degrading treatment to everyone, not just state prisoners. Derrick is a person with Asperger’s Syndrome, a parent of a child with Autism, and the brother of a sister with Autism.

His letter is posted in its entirety at disabledsoapbox blog and is titled “A Call for Ethical and Unprejudiced Leadership and Practice in the Field.” He invites organizations and individuals to sign on and provides contact info for those who prefer to contact the APA themselves.

Here is an excerpt:

Currently, children and young adults with autism, developmental differences, and mental health challenges are being treated in a manner that clearly meets the definition of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment or Punishment, as defined by the two previously mentioned APA documents. The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (hereafter referred to as JRC) in Massachusetts has a long history of using electric shock, food deprivation and prolonged mechanical restraint, as well as other painful and dehumanizing aversive techniques.

Not Dead Yet has signed onto this letter and believe that individuals and organizations opposed to the abuse and mistreatment of people with disabilities should do the same.