A 16-year-old transgender girl in Connecticut is at the center of controversy after she was transferred to an adult prison , where she has been held for more than a month without criminal charges . `` Jane Doe , '' as she is listed in court documents , has been in the York Correctional Facility in Niantic , Connecticut , since April 8 , spending the majority of her time there in solitary confinement , her attorney said . `` I tell myself that this is just a nightmare , but it does n't end . I know that I need to work on my issues and I want to , but this is not the place , '' she wrote in an op-ed published in the Hartford Courant in late April . She was ordered to the women 's prison after the state Department of Children and Families concluded that she was `` dangerous to ... herself or others or can not be safely held , '' according to the memorandum of the judge 's decision . DCF exercised a rarely used state law to persuade a judge to transfer the teen from its custody to the Department of Corrections . The court 's decision cited a `` history of assaultive behavior while in placement facilities , '' which included at least 11 assaults against her peers and staff during her more than five years in DCF custody . The option to transfer `` Jane Doe '' was set in motion by DCF Commissioner Joette Katz after the teen 's latest assault on a female staff worker during an out-of-state stint at a juvenile facility in Massachusetts . The incident left the staffer with a concussion and bite marks , according to reports , though no charges were pressed for the assault . `` Her behavior was more severe than other residents ... ( and ) made her especially dangerous and difficult to secure , '' according to testimony by a juvenile detention supervisor . 'We 're not in Abu Ghraib ' A grassroots movement has been launched for the teen , demanding her release from prison . `` We 're not in Abu Ghraib . We 're in Connecticut , in a constitution state . This is nothing short of human rights abuse , '' Aaron Romano , the teen 's attorney , told CNN . `` My client is an emotionally distressed child who has been victimized by people over and over again . She 's not charged with a crime , yet she was locked down in isolation , with a concrete block for her apartment , watched by guards 22 hours a day , even while she showered ... isolated from the rest of the world , '' Romano said . This week , the teen was moved to a separate facility within the prison with `` a bedroom , private bathroom and a programming/recreation area , '' DCF spokesman Gary Kleeblatt said . Doe 's case has drawn attention statewide and beyond , with her supporters launching protests in New York and outside DCF headquarters in Connecticut . The hashtag # Justice4Jane was trending this month on Twitter . `` I think from the statements the ( Connecticut Department of Children and Families ) commissioner has made , it 's clear on a fundamental level she does not understand Jane in a sympathetic light . She does not see her as a vulnerable person -- she sees her as a monster essentially , '' Chase Strangio , staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union 's LGBT & AIDS Project , told CNN . `` You can see they are just using solitary confinement as default placement so they do n't have to figure out questions about where to safely house transgender individuals , '' Strangio said . `` But we have federal law and we have our constitution that requires that these institutions and agencies take seriously the obligation to keep people safe . Placing people in solitary confinement does not meet that obligation . '' Governor 's support . Despite the controversy surrounding the DCF commissioner 's suggestion to transfer the teen to an adult prison , Katz has received support from Connecticut Gov . Dannel Malloy , who oversees the agency . `` The governor thinks the commissioner has done phenomenal work to transform an agency that is one of the most difficult in state government , '' Andrew Doba , a spokesman for Malloy , told CNN . `` No one thinks this is a good option for the teen , and we 're working on a good resolution , '' he added . `` I admit that I have acted out and got into fights , '' Doe wrote in her op-ed in the Hartford Courant . `` I am not saying it was OK , but I have a lot of stuff built up inside me and do n't know how to deal with it at times . They tell me that trauma changes people and makes them act out . Believe me , it does . I have n't agreed with everything DCF has done , but I thought they were supposed to be on my side , '' she wrote . Romano , Doe 's attorney , says he is suing the state for her release . `` We are looking at other options for Jane that will better meet her treatment needs , '' DCF spokesman Kleeblatt said . The transgender community : Legally invisible no more ? Transgender , gay Indians fight to cast off taboos , stereotypes .
` ` Jane Doe , '' 16 , was transferred from a child care agency 's custody to an adult prison . The agency used a state law to persuade a court to release the child . The court cited a ` ` history of assaultive behavior while in placement facilities '' ` ` I need to work on my case ... but this is not the place , '' teen wrote in an op - ed .