"I have been sitting in this prison for a month now and there is no plan to get me out. I am suffering in here. I'm having trouble sleeping and I'm not eating much. I cry in bed every night. I can't be myself in this place. I feel forgotten and thrown away… DCF is supposed to be helping me, right? If this is helping me then I'm all set with being helped. I would be a lot better off being on my own. It seems like you're my last chance to get out of here. Don't forget about me. I can't take another month of this."—Jane Doe, a 16-year-old transgender Latina teenager who is being held in solitary confinement in an adult women's prison despite not having charged with any crime, in a letter to Connecticut Governor Dannel O'Malloy, more than a month ago.
Today is the 65th day that Jane has spent in solitary at Connecticut's York Correctional:
Since being incarcerated Jane has spent most of her time in solitary confinement. She has not interacted with a peer since January. She cannot shower without two guards watching her. She has asked for help and those with legal custody over her have locked her away in the hopes that she will be forgotten.There are many ways to take action in support of Jane at the link. Let's work those teaspoons.
...Jane needs to be released from prison so that she can heal and experience the love and support that she deserves. Jane is a teenager with dreams whose humanity we cannot forget and she needs our help to make that happen.
[Via Melissa Gira Grant.]
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