Rojas says prison debt is inconsistent with lawmakers' criminal justice approach
Jason RojasJason Rojas, Connecticut House majority leader, in comments reported October 1
Rojas argues that prison debt adds to financial insecurity after release.
“a policy that adds to that just seems really inconsistent”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Connecticut collect per diem incarceration fees from former inmates' settlements and windfalls?
Connecticut has charged incarcerated people a daily fee for the cost of their imprisonment since 1995, and state law lets the Department of Administrative Services collect on that debt for up to 20 years after release, including by taking up to half of a lottery win, inheritance or lawsuit settlement, or a lien against a deceased person's estate. A Connecticut Mirror investigation published September 27, 2026 found the daily rate has reached $347, that a year in prison can produce a debt of nearly $127,000, and that the state collected about $21 million this way from 2020 to mid-2026 from hundreds of formerly incarcerated people, including money from wrongful-death and police-brutality settlements. The legislature narrowed the law in 2022 and 2024, and a federal lawsuit led the state to withdraw its claims against its four named plaintiffs by October 2024, but collection from others has continued. The dispute is whether Connecticut should be allowed to collect this debt from former inmates' settlements, inheritances and windfalls at all, not whether any individual's specific bill was calculated correctly.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
CT Mirror reports Lamont's September 30 remarks supporting changes in 2027, while retaining possible charges for wealthy former inmates. The leaders had not settled on repeal.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Rojas says that merely creating exceptions for people who can afford the cost could get complicated.
After the quotation
Rojas says it is hard, on a human level, to know lawmakers' decisions affect people this way.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is collection of incarceration costs. Rojas criticizes the policy for adding to financial instability.
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More from this case
Read the full caseLamont supports prison-debt changes, with possible charges for wealthy former inmates
“Maybe if it's Gordon Gekko or some Wall Street titan, yeah, I think they should contribute to the cost of their incarceration. But I think for the other 90% of people, I want to make sure when they've served their time, they get back out, they're not stuck with an incredible burden that is impossible for them to pay off”Read statement
DeSenti says she cannot process losing the home she worked for
“I still can't wrap my head around losing the thing that I worked for”Read statement
Taubes says the debt hurts reintegration
“It hurts people's ability to reintegrate into society when they carry these debts”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Rojas says prison debt is inconsistent with lawmakers' criminal justice approach". First published: 2026-10-29. Last updated: 2026-10-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/7168-rojas-argues-that-prison-debt-adds-to-financial