Aaron J. Romano, an attorney for the transgender teenage girl imprisoned in Connecticut, says that the girl's situation has not improved following her move to a different area of the adult prison, according to The New Haven Register. Jane Doe, a 16-year-old transgender girl, is being held without criminal charges against her following an order from the state's Department of Children and Families.
Romano said that during the five weeks Doe was in the mental health unit of the prison, she was held in isolation but could hear screaming from the adult inmates nearby.
He was dismissive of the decision to move her to what DCF officials have called a “cottage” or “apartment” at York. DCF spokesman Gary Kleeblatt released a statement describing a bedroom, private bathroom and a “programming/recreation area.”
“She is not in a ‘cottage,’” Romano said. “That word creates the illusion of Mother Goose.”
As for it being an “apartment,” Romano said, “She’s in prison! It’s a disgrace to see DCF again attempting to distance themselves from what they’ve done: putting a child in jail. They’re trying to cover it up with their use of language.”
“This is not an improvement,” he added. “She’s still basically in isolation. Her only contact with the outside world is corrections officials. They’re not trained to provide treatment to children.”