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Jane Doe Speaks From Prison: "I Don't Deserve This"

Connecticut Dept. of Correction

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 toWNPR, 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 stateare 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 saidthe 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:

Author, Piper Kerman who wrote, "Orange is the New Black" also has been tweeting about Jane Doe.

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.

Credit Facebook

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.

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