The prison system in the United States is as flawed as the prison systems in most third world countries. We are frustrated and saddened by reports of severe overcrowding and staff misconduct. However, as rampant as those abuses have become, they pale in comparison to the lack of compassion shown by the warden of the Federal Prison Camp in Yankton, South Dakota.
Jason Yaeger is one of 837 convicts currently serving time at the Yankton prison. Jason has nearly a year left to serve on a 5½-year sentence for a methamphetamine conviction, and prison officials plan to release him to a halfway house in August. Jason's case differs little from the cases of other inmates serving time at the minimum-security facility. However, unlike most other inmates, Jason's daughter, 10-year-old Jayci Yaeger, is dying of brain cancer and is not expected to live long enough to see her father be released from prison. Jayci's health is rapidly declining and her doctors say that nothing can be done to save her.
It is truly heartbreaking when a child falls ill with a terminal illness, but it is even more distressing when that child is denied her dying wish. In Jayci's case, her wish is to have her father by her side, holding her as she passes from this life to the next. Although this request seems simple enough, Warden J. D. Whitehead does not see fit to grant her final wish, and has denied repeated requests by her father for an early release to a halfway house.
In a statement to the press released on Thursday, a Yankton prison spokesperson said: "Bureau of Prisons officials have reviewed Inmate Yaeger’s request for a compassionate release and have determined his situation does not meet the criteria … Our agency's mission is to protect society by confining offenders in controlled environments of prisons and community based facilities which are safe, humane, and appropriately secure."
"I am sorry for what I have done,'' Jason said in a interview with ABCnews.com. "I'm not asking to get out of my sentence — just to go from one place of imprisonment to another so I can be with my family. Jayci is sitting in a hospice fighting for her life and [her mother] thinks she is holding on for me to get there. She wants me and needs me and I want to be there with her on her last day."
The prison allows Jason daily phone contact with his daughter, but her condition has left her too weak to talk. According to Jayci's mother, Vonda Yaeger, her daughter's voice has been replaced with tears that roll down her face whenever she hears her father's voice.
"Jason always tells her and her sister how proud of them he is and that he loves them," Vonda told a reporter from the Yankton Press & Dakotan. "His favorite saying is, 'You are my heart.' He actually has that tattooed on his arm with both of their names in it. ... He's been a really good dad to them and they miss him very much."
Jason's family has asked for help from their state representatives and from the governor of South Dakota. However, in each instance the family has been told that the state has no authority over the prison. All decisions regarding federal prisons are left to federal officials. As a result, Jason's family is now asking President George W. Bush for clemency. As of this writing, the White House has yet to release an official statement regarding the family’s request.
I am often sickened by the callousness of persons who commit atrocious crimes against innocent members of our society; however I am equally appalled by the lack of compassion shown by Warden J. D. Whitehead.
I urge everyone to take a moment to contact Whitehead and let him know your own thoughts on this case. His telephone number is (605) 665-3262, his fax number is (605) 668-1113 and his e-mail address is yan/execassistant@bop.gov. Snail mail letters should be addressed to: Warden Whitehead FPC, Yankton Federal Prison Camp, P.O. Box 680, Yankton, SD 57078.
In addition to contacting the Warden, you can also help the Yaeger family with medical expenses by sending donations to: Jayci Yaeger Fund, c/o Wells Fargo, 1248 "O" Street, Lincoln, NE 68508.
