Gov. Patrick files motion against shock therapy

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Governor Deval Patrick has filed a motion to vacate an order that allows the Judge Rotenberg Center to continue to shock disabled children.

Gov. Patrick's administration previously passed regulations that ban these shocks for new students enrolled since the fall of 2011. However, the Canton-based center is the only place in the country to use these shocks. Their use has drawn national attention since video of a former student's treatment was revealed in 2012.

A ban on the use of electric shocks as treatment for the disabled was not adopted as part of the state budget passed by the Legislature in 2012. The amendment to ban aversive therapy including the shocks was included in the state Senate's version of the budget, but did not make it through a conference committee of House and Senate lawmakers.

The center has been investigated by the Justice Department and has drawn the scrutiny of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture.

FOX Undercover's Mike Beaudet has been covering the JRC's practices since the beginning. Check out more on the JRC under the FOX Undercover tab.

Cox Media Group