Jailed transgender teen to be moved to children’s psychiatric center

HARTFORD, Conn. — A transgender girl detained without criminal charges at an adult women’s prison in Connecticut will be moved to a unit for troubled girls in state custody, Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families said Friday.

The department said two weeks ago the teen, known in court documents only as Jane Doe, had been accepted into a private youth treatment center in Massachusetts but it said Friday that it is still pending final approval.

In the interim, the department said, the Pueblo Unit of the Albert J. Solnit Children’s Psychiatric Center in Middletown is a more appropriate setting for her treatment.

“The decision reflects the department’s continued focus on moving Jane from a correctional facility to a setting that is most appropriate for her treatment and educational needs and also reflects the progress she has made over recent months,” the department said in a statement. “Jane will reside at the all-girls unit in Middletown pending final approval of the Massachusetts placement.”

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The teen, who was born a boy but identifies as a girl, has suffered sexual abuse and other trauma and has a range of mental health needs, according to her lawyer, Aaron Romano.

A state judge in April ordered the girl transferred from DCF custody to Department of Correction custody because DCF officials said she was too violent for them to handle.

The teen has supporters across the country including civil liberties activists who have been calling for her to be moved to a facility that can better meet her needs.