"Shock school" founder forced to step down following criminal indictment for destroying evidence

June 10, 2011

On May 25, 2011, Massachusetts psychologist Matthew Israel, the founder and executive director of the Judge Rotenberg Center, was indicted on two counts of criminal behavior related to the repeated, painful and deliberate application of electric skin shocks to two children (residents of the Center) and the subsequent attempt to cover it up. 

Once child was shocked 29 times, the other 77 times, sometimes while restrained, resulting in skin burns so severe that they needed to be hospitalized. 

Israel was ordered by the state to preserve closed-circuit video evidence of the incident but instead ordered the destruction of the evidence. 

He was sentenced to five years probation and was forced to step down from his position and disassociate himself from the Center.

Source: "Statement of Senator Joyce on the criminal indictment of Matthew Israel, found and executive director of the Judge Rotenberg Center," release from the Office of Senator Bryan A. Joyce, May 25, 2011 and Ed Pilkington, "Founder of electric shock autism treatment school forced to quit," Guardian UK, May 25, 2011.