|
|
|
|
**PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY - ADVOCATE FOR INCARCERATED TRANSGENDER HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST!** April 29, 2003 Hi friends and supporters, After days of repeated requests and phone calls, Jesse's Pre-Sentencing Investigation and medical records have not appeared at Danbury. I spoke with Jesse and School of the Americas Watch volunteer lawyer Bill Quigley throughout the day today, and they are both in support of our beginning to advocate immediately. Jesse said that he has met with a prison doctor, Jay Manvi, who has been very helpful and respectful, but simply does not have the paperwork necessary to order his medication. Jesse made it very clear that he has not been mistreated and that the doctor said he will indeed order the prescription ASAP when the paperwork arrives. However, even if the medication is ordered tomorrow, Jesse will still miss his 2nd scheduled shot while incarcerated, which should have been on next Monday, May 5. This means that it has been almost 4 weeks since he was able to take his prescription. The details about Jesse's PSI and medical records are sketchy. As Jesse's case worker (whose name I do not know) told him, the prison cannot legally admit an inmate without already having the PSI in order to know where to designate them. So Jesse said that the case worker does have Jesse's PSI, but his counselor, Mr. Metielski, with whom Jesse has a tenuous relationship at best, apparently does not. The counselor is the person who must have the PSI in order to approve Jesse's parents to visit, which hasn't happened yet. The Health Services Administrator for Danbury, Mary Ellen Rivers, is on vacation for a few weeks, and for this reason, her fill-in, Julie Cady, may not be able to be very helpful to Jesse. For these reasons, the first communication below to Danbury is addressed to Warden Kuma Deboo. As the Warden, she has considerable power in all matters regarding inmates. The second communication below is to the Northeast Regional Office of the Bureau of Prisons, which oversees the Danbury FPC. Jesse is unusually lucky to have an advocacy network outside of prison that is willing to fax, call and write on his behalf, unlike thousands of federal inmates in the US. As his supporters, we will do all that we can to ensure that he does receive his hormone medication, testosterone (a shot to be administered once every two weeks), ASAP. As Bill said to me today, the prison's ignorance of any inmate's prescription medication is totally outrageous and unacceptable. We must hold the prison system accountable for this grave violation of the rights of all inmates, and specifically the rights of transgender inmates. To advocate for Jesse's PSI and medical records to arrive at Danbury and for the immediate continuation of his prescription medication, please contact the following two people ASAP: Warden Kuma Deboo Director M.E. Ray In all communications, you must include Jesse's full name and inmate number: Jessica Carr #91389-020. Faxes are the quickest and therefore most effective, phone calls are very frustrating because they are unlikely to go through, and letters are very important but take days. That said, please contact the two above people in any way(s) that you are able to ASAP. Thanks so much for all of your love and support! Please contact me directly with questions or if you learn any new information about Jesse at 440-775-9961 or sarah.saunders@o... Take care and stay strong, |