Why is there a 17 year old in adult prison in Connecticut when no crime has been committed?

I cannot believe that I am writing about this, and I genuinely mean that. I know that I should not be shocked by how systems will treat young people who are in foster care, who are transgender and who are part of a racial minority. I know that I should not bat an eyelash. I have been in the social work world for over six years now, and I have seen a lot of bullshit in my days. But this is fucking ridiculous.  

In Connecticut, there is a young woman who has been in adult prison in solitary confinement for the past 72 days, because her conservator, the state, supposedly could not find another place to put her. Please read that sentence aloud to yourself until it all sinks in. According to the Connecticut Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, Joette Katz, the minor has emotional and behavioral problems. Due to her transgender status, all of the residential treatment centers in the entire state of Connecticut were allegedly hesitant to work with her, so the state placed her in adult prison. ADULT PRISON. In order to maintain her safety, they have placed her in solitary confinement. SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN ADULT PRISON.

Are you fucking serious right now? Look, I 100% believe that people who work in the foster care system are over worked and under paid. I know that a lot of those individuals are vicariously traumatized and burnt out. I also believe that the foster care system was created for safety above all else, including the minor’s mental well being. However, you cannot tell me that an individual whose case has gotten the attention of the commissioner could not have gone elsewhere or at the very least have been moved into an alternative placement quicker.  

The cynical, and perhaps jaded, side of me believes that this young woman would continue to quietly live in solitary confinement until her eighteenth birthday had it not been for protestors, a Twitter backlash against the department, the involvement of the ACLU, and a letter writing campaign. The even more cynical side of me believes that she would not be living in prison right now if the mainstream media had presented her story more often. And of course, I would probably not be typing this if the young woman fit the social norms of who deserves to live a supported life. 

I wish that I had a witty closing for this post, and I don’t. The young woman will soon be moved to a treatment center in Massachusetts, one that can attend to all of her needs and will respect her identity. Some people will wipe their brows and say, “Phew, I am glad that is over. She ended up somewhere good.” But they would be missing the point.

- Lauren, incredibly disappointed and super pissed