DAS official declines to take a position on the policy

Deputy Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Administrative ServicesStatement date: September 27, 2026

“We're not involved in the policy discussion here”

Open sourceThey served their time in prison. Then the bills arrived.Full article, including the sections headed "Additional punishment," "The John Gottis of the world," "Blood from a stone," "Calls for repeal," "Collections continue," "A punch in the heart" and "Priority creditor"

Source and context

Reporting

They served their time in prison. Then the bills arrived.Full article, including the sections headed "Additional punishment," "The John Gottis of the world," "Blood from a stone," "Calls for repeal," "Collections continue," "A punch in the heart" and "Priority creditor"

About this source

CT Mirror investigation into Connecticut's cost-of-incarceration collection law, published September 27, 2026. Based on a review of hundreds of probate-court cases filed from 2020 to 2026 and interviews with more than a dozen affected people, state officials, legislators and advocates. Anchors this case's account of the practice's scale, mechanics and the on-record positions of DAS, the Attorney General's office and named advocates and affected individuals.

Archived copy

Before the quotation

Michael was responding to a question about whether DAS could waive a lien in cases of financial hardship, after Lisa Janssen's attorney argued the law allowed the agency to set aside a lien to support a surviving spouse.

After the quotation

She said DAS has no ability to waive a prison lien based on the statute Janssen's attorney cited.

How this statement is classified

Explicitly stayed out

Case context: Should Connecticut collect per diem incarceration fees from former inmates' settlements and windfalls?

The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.

Why this label?

Michael explicitly frames her agency's role as implementation rather than policy judgment, declining to state whether the practice is justified.

Recorded on: September 29, 2026
Published here: September 29, 2026
People and groups discussed: Connecticut Department of Administrative Services