Beatty says paying the debt would mean paying twice
Formerly incarcerated Stamford resident; lead plaintiff, Beatty v. Lamont
“I just don’t think it’s right, because I feel I already paid my debt to society. I just don’t think it’s fair for me to be paying twice”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Associated Press wire story republished by NBC Connecticut, reported around the time Connecticut's 2022 partial overhaul of the cost-of-incarceration law took effect. Quotes Sen. John Kissel defending the underlying policy, Rep. Steve Stafstrom describing the reform's effect, and affected individuals including Teresa Beatty, Fred Hodges and Da'ee McKnight.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Beatty was incarcerated for two and a half years on drug charges and later faced a state lien on money she inherited from her mother.
After the quotation
She became the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed the same year challenging the law.
How this statement is classified
Responding to: Connecticut's prison-debt law, under which the state can seize up to half of a settlement, inheritance or other financial windfall for up to 20 years after release, violates the Eighth Amendment's ban on excessive fines.
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
Beatty directly rejects the practice as unfair to her personally, framing it as a second punishment for the same offense.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Connecticut Department of Correction, Connecticut Department of Administrative Services
Should Connecticut collect per diem incarceration fees from former inmates' settlements and windfalls?
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