The New York State Library’s upcoming public programs include a Feb. 24 online presentation on “the debates over the use of aversive interventions (such as electric shock) like the ones used at the Massachusetts-based Judge Rotenberg Center.”

The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center is the last school in the U.S. to use electric shock treatment, according to masslive.com. The school says its population consists of “emotionally disturbed students with conduct, behavior, emotional, and/or psychiatric problems, as well as those with intellectual disabilities or on the autism spectrum.”

The library’s announcement notes that “there are families who believe deeply in the need to use aversives to control their children’s behavior. There are others who believe the techniques used are torture. The overwhelming majority of these families have children who have been excluded from numerous educational and treatment programs because of their behaviors.”

You can learn more about the event and register here.

Photo: Matt H. Wade