Graduated electronic decelerator

This article is about the torture device. For the use of electric shocks as a medical procedure, see electroconvulsive therapy.

A patent drawing for the GED

The graduated electronic decelerator (GED) is a torture device that delivers powerful electric shocks to the skin. Created by Matthew Israel for use on people at the Judge Rotenberg Center as part of the institution's behavior modification program, the device and the school's punishment program have been condemned as torture by the United Nations special rapporteur on torture. In 2020, the device was banned in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration; however, the ban was overturned in federal court a year later. In 2023, the United States Congress amended the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, expanding the FDA's authority to ban such devices. The FDA proposed a new ban based on its expanded authority in March 2024 and accepted public comments on the proposal through May 2024. After allowing two previous self-imposed deadlines (October 2025 and May 2026) to pass, the agency announced in July 2026 that it would make a final decision on the proposed ban by November 2026.

Matthew Israel created the GED to replace the older punishments of spankings, pinches, and muscle squeezes, but continued to use restraints, sensory deprivation, and the withholding of food. These older punishments were often used in combination with the GED: For example, a student could be restrained to a board and then given several GED shocks in succession. While the school advertises its behavior modification program as safe, effective, and backed by science, these claims are disputed by independent experts, and the device has been condemned as a form of torture.