<<

Sunday May 11, 2003
Two Articles about Jesse

<<

May 11, 2003

Hi friends and supporters-

I spoke with Jesse this afternoon, and he sounded really happy. His mood and general physical well-being have greatly improved after receiving his injection on Thursday, and he was especially pleased because he was able to have two special visitors for Mothers' Day.

Until this past Friday only Jesse's mother had been approved by his counselor, but on Friday morning, Jesse was called into an office to meet with the Danbury Director of Health Services Mary Ellen Rivers, Unit Director Ms. Wilmer and Warden Kuma Deboo. They told Jesse that because he has received his hormone prescription, he needs to stop the advocacy now! Apparently the letters are still coming in, and perhaps some faxes and phone calls, too. This is a powerful statement of our support for Jesse, but at this point he is still on the good side of the prison bureaucracy. So he wanted me to reiterate to you all that the advocacy was indeed successful, and to please post this information to all others who you contacted with the original action alerts. (Thank you!)

However, our continued advocacy has also had positive results, because Jesse is perceived to have a lot of power in the system now. In the meeting, the three officials asked Jesse if there was anything else that they could do for him, and he made it clear that he wanted both of his parents to be approved, as should have happened immediately. So luckily this was possible, and Jesse and his parents were able to spend the day together.

Below are two (slightly probelmatic) articles that were published in Hartford and Danbury, CT on Friday about Jesse, and apparently there was also a piece on the local radio that day. The media pressure has helped to keep Jesse's profile up, which will also help if there is any need for future advocacy. If you know of any media people who are interested in writing a story about Jesse's incarceration and for demonstrating nonviolently against the School of the Americas, please encourage them to contact me at sarah.saunders@o...

Thanks again for all of your hard work and support!

Take care and stay strong,
Sarah

by Daniela Altimari, Courant Staff Writer

DANBURY -- A transgender inmate who said federal prison officials were failing to provide him with the hormone therapy he needs to complete his transition from female to male has reportedly begun to receive the required injections.

Jesse Carr, whose given name was Jessica, is a 21-year-old college student from Ohio who is serving a three-month sentence for trespassing, a misdemeanor. He was one of 84 people arrested in November during a protest at a U.S. Army training school in Fort Benning, Ga.

Carr reported to serve his sentence at a minimum-security prison in Alderson, W. Va., on April 8. Less than a week later, he was transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution at Danbury. Both facilities house female inmates.

Carr had been receiving a testosterone injection every two weeks since November. Stopping the treatments abruptly can cause medical problems.

Carr's supporters said Friday that he finally began receiving his shots and has been assured by prison officials that his medical regimen will not be interrupted.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons policy states that inmates undergoing hormone therapy should be permitted to maintain their treatment. The spokesman for the Danbury facility, Paul Paquette, was unavailable Thursday, and an official at the Bureau of Prisons' northeast regional office declined to comment.

Carr's attorney, Bill Quigley, said he thought the treatments were withheld because of a bureaucratic problem that prevented Carr's medical records from arriving in Danbury.

"Prisons are tough institutions to run, and this is an unusual situation," said Quigley, adding that he hoped the situation would be remedied before Carr missed another treatment.

"Right now, Jesse is getting some verbal assurances that it will work out," he said. "But Jesse has gotten those before and it hasn't worked out."

Carr was arrested during a demonstration at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, a military training facility.

Quigley praised Carr: "Most of us have principles we care deeply about, but few of us are willing to go to jail for them. For a transgender individual, the scariness ... is multiplied." ##

DANBURY, Conn. -- An inmate at the Danbury federal prison says officials have failed to provide hormone therapy to complete his transition from a woman to a man.

Jesse Carr, whose given name was Jessica, is a 21-year-old college student from Ohio serving a three-month sentence for a misdemeanor. Carr was among 84 protesters arrested in November at a U.S. Army training school in Fort Benning, Ga.

"He's been at Danbury for 3 1/2 weeks, and he still hasn't received his medication," said Sarah Saunders, a friend who attends Oberlin College with Carr.

Carr had been receiving a testosterone injection every two weeks since November. Stopping the treatments abruptly can cause medical problems. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons policy states that inmates undergoing hormone therapy should be permitted to maintain their treatment. The spokesman for the Danbury facility, Paul Paquette, was unavailable Thursday, and an official at the Bureau of Prisons' northeast regional office declined to comment.

Carr's attorney, Bill Quigley, said he thought the treatments were withheld because of a bureaucratic problem that prevented Carr's medical records from arriving in Danbury.

"Prisons are tough institutions to run, and this is an unusual situation," said Quigley, adding that he hoped the situation would be remedied before Carr missed another treatment. ##