The 16-year-old transgender girl who has been detained at a Connecticut women's prison for over two weeks issued a statement on Wednesday asking DCF Commissioner Joette Katz to visit her in prison.
"Although my life has been harder than most anyone can imagine, the last few months have been the worst."
Jane Doe
In the statement provided to WNPR, Jane Doe said, "Although my life has been harder than most anyone can imagine, the last few months have been the worst. " She said she knows there's a lot of attention on DCF. "I don't want this to be about them," she said. "I don't care about people who don't care about me."
Instead, the 16-year-old said, "I want people to understand who I am [and] what my life has been like." She mentioned an article that was written by Commissioner Katz. She challenged Katz "to come to this prison and meet me. If she does, she will see that I am more than what is written. I am a girl, with a lot going on in her life. We have all made mistakes but I don't deserve this." To read more of her letter, click here.
Attorneys for the girl and the state are working towards an an agreement on her confinement. DCF Commissioner Joette Katz has been adamant that the 16-year-old remain at York Correctional Institution until there are changes in her behavior.
Advocates have said the juvenile has faced multiple traumas in her life, and should be in a rehabilitative juvenile setting, not a prison.
Meanwhile, people across the country continue to voice support for removing the teen, known as Jane Doe, from the prison.
A court approved the teen's transfer to York Correctional Institution on Tuesday, April 8, after DCF filed a motion to transfer her to the Department of Correction. DCF invoked a statute that allows a transfer if the juvenile is too dangerous to remain at a DCF facility.
Since the court order, Jane Doe's story has circulated daily through Twitter. Many tweets mention a change.org petition started by the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project:
16 yr old trans girl is being held in adult prison; not charged with or convicted of any crime: http://t.co/kJYsvZMFQ6 #Justice4Jane
— sparkmovement (@sparkmvmnt) April 23, 2014
CT Dept of Children & Families: Free the 16-yo #transgender girl in an adult prison w/o criminal charges! http://t.co/4urOhD4gRe via @Change
— Nefarious "Wear a F*cking Mask" Newt (@NefariousNewt) April 23, 2014
RT @Justice4JaneCT
— BROOKE CERDA GUZMAN (@DESCOLONIZADORA) April 22, 2014
Sign the change petition here! http://t.co/ydxMEW28MF#girlslikeus #justice4jane @latinorebels #foxnews #glbt #lgbt
Author, Piper Kerman who wrote, "Orange is the New Black" also has been tweeting about Jane Doe.
LGBT youth at risk MT @ariathak: help support teen trans girl currently incarcerated in CT w/NO criminal conviction https://t.co/B8vTqiPiiz
— Piper Kerman (@Piper) April 21, 2014
Supporters in Connecticut have organized a rally on the teen's behalf on Friday, April 25, and are using both Twitter and Facebook to spread the word.
