Heather Callaghan

Activist Post

“I never signed up for him to be tortured, terrorized and abused,” Cheryl McCollins told a jury on Tuesday. “I had no idea, no idea, that they tortured the children in the school.”

In February, we reported Ms. McCollins’ plight and her calling for the public viewing of startling footage of her then 18 year-old son, Andre, receiving 31 electroshocks at Judge Rotenburg Center for the disabled (JRC) for not removing his jacket.

In 2002, Andre, now 27, had been zapped, restrained, sprawled out face down with a helmet, and shocked another 30 times anytime he flinched or screamed out in pain. The aversive shock “treatment” continued all day with no food, water, or bathroom breaks.

When Cheryl visited her son, he was unresponsive and later rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with acute stress response.

McCollins is suing Canton, MA-based JRC and calling the treatment torture. Cheryl wanted the public to see this “therapy” as an unacceptable act of torture.

Of course, JRC fought vigorously to block the video release. A new Superior Court Judge on the case, Judge Barbara Dortch-Okara, refused JRC’s repeated request allowing public-court viewing for the first time.

Cheryl also testified that the staff members were laughing as Andre was shocked.

JRC said Fox’s coverage of the footage would make it impossible for JRC to receive a fair trial. You will soon see why.

Warning: Even this newsclip revealing moments of Andre’s shock abuse is hard to watch.