10-year-old Nebraska girl Jayci Yaeger died not long after she was given her last wish: to see her father Jason Yaeger who is serving time on a drug offense. There remain questions about why federal officials in Yankton, S.D. fought any extended furlough for so long and only relented after a national outcry over their position.
Jayci had terminal brain cancer and only wanted to be with her father in her final days. The prison refused anything other than a couple of day trips. The warden concluded that a dying 10-year-old daughter was not “an extraordinary circumstance.” It appears to have become an extraordinary circumstance when citizens across the country deluged the prison with calls and letters of outrage.
Now that Jayci is gone, it should be time to investigate the heartless position of the Bureau of Prisons and Warden J.D. Whitehead (PC YANKTON FEDERAL PRISON CAMP 1016 DOUGLAS AVENUE YANKTON, SD 57078). Notably, requests for clemency from President Bush were left unanswered despite his intervention to save Scooter Libby from a day in jail. I frankly do not know what the drug offense in this case involved. However, at a minimum, a furlough should have been granted as a simple matter of humanity. The failure of Whitehead and the BOP to see this as an “extraordinary” circumstance shows an utter lack of both judgment and decency.
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Jason Yaeger, the father, is serving a 5½-year sentence for possession and intent to distribute methamphetamines.
JT:
Apparently clemency and compassion are reserved for bag men and big donors in this Administration. We could get Congress in emergency session with the President returning to Washington from another of his unending vacations to pass so-called compassionate (and ill-conceived) legislation to deny a spouse the right to permit his brain dead wife to die with dignity when Republican donors in the so-called Right to Life Movement were involved. However, compassion for a dying 10 year old is beyond this crowd. Guess they forgot about Matthew 18:6 (KJV), or never really knew about it in the first place.
I agree, Mespo. As far as I’m concerned, the BOP treats the family members of inmates with the same indifference and in some cases (as in this case) cruelty and lack of compassion they have for the inmates in their charge. As JT pointed out, the only reason this warden relented was that public pressure was making HIM look bad, not because of any real compassion for Jayci. I would venture to say the majority of wardens and corrections personnel (aka prison guards) are just like him.
Before we start the outcry for releasing convicted felons, should we not hear the facts of the case? Had the man had contact with this little girl prior to his conviction? Was this just a scam on his part for a little (or alot) of freedom. Too many bad apples and soon all inmates will suddenly what release to be with dying children.
@Tammy-
Who’s asking for convicted felons to be released? It doesn’t appear that anyone was asking for his sentence to be reduced or stopped. I also inferred from this story that it was not the father but the little girl that requested to be with him in her dying days. An amazing scam: imprisoned man telepathically tells his daughter to try and get him furlough! Regardless of what contact he’s initiated with her over the years, *her* dying wish was to see her father. How can you deny something like that?
And really, the last comment was just silly. Why would you paint such a ridiculous scenario to bolster your argument? It just weakens any point you may have had to go to hyperbole.
Really?? I mean it’s a ten year old DYING girl and she justs wants to see her father for the last time? How would you like it if you were in prison, your child was dying, and you didn’t jave the priviledge to say Goodbye?? Rot in H.E.L.L