Behavior Research Institute (Providence)

Deaths on record

• Vincent Milletich age 22 | July 23, 1985 | Asphyxiated while restrained in a chair, masked and helmeted, during a "white noise" aversive session at BRI's Seekonk home Boston Magazine
• Danny Aswad age 14 | July 17, 1981 | Died while staff held him face-down on his bed at BRI's Northridge school; the autopsy called it natural causes Boston Magazine

The memorial

Lawsuits

• Corbett v. Regional Center of the East Bay, Inc. 1988 | Unknown | United States District Court, N.D. California | C-87-5322 SAW Names this facility

  Plaintiffs filed an action under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act to protect a minor's educational placement and funding at a residential facility. The Department of Social Services sought clarification on whether a preliminary injunction prevented them from pursuing a license revocation action against the facility. The court ruled that state licensing authorities may proceed in good faith with license revocation proceedings under state law, provided the actions are not used as a ruse to alter the student's placement in violation of federal law.

• Corbett v. Regional Center for the East Bay, Inc. 1988 | Unknown | United States District Court for the Northern District of California | C-87-5322 SAW Names this facility

  Plaintiffs sought a preliminary injunction to prevent a community agency and state department from unilaterally terminating funding and changing the residential and educational placement of their handicapped son at a behavioral research facility. The defendants had acted to relocate the youth due to concerns regarding safety and the use of restraints following medical incidents. The court evaluated whether it had jurisdiction under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act to regulate non-educational agencies providing related services and ultimately denied the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction.

Every case in the lawsuit directory

News coverage

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  Boston Magazine Jun 17, 2008 Expose

  Judge Rotenberg Center Shock Therapy Practices

  The article reports on the use of electric shock therapy and other aversive techniques at the Judge Rotenberg Center in Canton, Massachusetts, describing the devices employed and the legal and regulatory responses. It details incidents of restraint, chemical exposure, and deaths among students, and outlines legislative efforts to limit such practices. The piece presents these facts without attributing blame to the students themselves.