Matthew Israel
Mathew Israel is an American psychologist who is known for founding the Judge Rotenberg Center and inventing the Graduated Electronic Decelerator. Israel studied behaviorism under B.F. Skinner and received his phd from Harvard University in 1960. While a student of Skinner's, Israel read Skinner's book, Walden Two, which is about a utopia built on behaviorist principles. Israel told Skinner that he should make the book assigned reading. Skinner at first objected, but then agreed to make the book assigned reading for his class along with George Orwell's 1984 "to give both side of the issue." Inspired by Walden Two, Israel tried in 1967 create a utopian commune built on the principles of behaviorism. When his first attempt failed, he tried a second time.
After failing to build a utopia, Israel founded the Judge Rotenberg Center in 1971. The center has since been condemned by the United Nations for the torture of children with disabilities. In 2011, Israel was indited on criminal charges of child endangerment, obstructing justice, and acting as an accessory after the fact. He was forced to resign his position at the JRC as part of a plea deal to avoid prosecution.
Israel has cited Ivar Lovaas's use of a cattle prod on autistic children as justification for the Judge Rotenberg Center's use of electric skin shocks as aversives.
