HARTFORD – Department of Children and Families (DCF) Commissioner Joette Katz just announced that the 16-year-old known as “Jane Doe,” has been tentatively accepted at a private treatment center for youths in Massachusetts where the staff is trained in the issues of transgender youths. Katz expects her to be admitted within the next two weeks, pending the young woman’s right to a hearing is she opposes the move. If the transfer from the York Correctional Institution women’s prison in Niantic goes forward, it would end what Katz describes as a “prolonged search for a secure facility that would honor her gender identity.” Katz said about a dozen facilities had been deemed unsuitable because of security concerns or they were not programmed for young women. The co-educational Massachusetts program is secure and focuses on helping youths learn to regulate harmful behaviors. Katz said she hopes “Jane Doe improves to the point that she can be placed with foster parents. This transition will allow her to get the treatment she needs and begin the process of healing. I hope this can eventually lead to successful re-integration into a family and community as well as a transition to a healthy adulthood.” Jane Doe became a case for the DCF following the assault of a Judicial Branch employee in a state detention center; and the February assault of a staff member at a private facility in Massachusetts. In April, a state juvenile court ordered her to the adult prison in Niantic.