Teresa Beatty is a Stamford, Connecticut resident and certified nursing assistant. She was incarcerated in Connecticut from 2000 to 2002 and later became the lead plaintiff in a federal class-action lawsuit challenging the state's cost-of-incarceration law.
What we have documented
We have documented 1 statement by Teresa Beatty, in 1 case. Each statement below gives the quotation, its original source and a link to the full case.
Case updates
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Role at the time: Formerly incarcerated Stamford resident; lead plaintiff, Beatty v. Lamont
Condemned
Response to this claim
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.
“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”
Connecticut charges incarcerated people up to $347 a day and can collect the debt for 20 years after release, including from settlements and inheritances. A 2026 investigation found the state collected about $21 million this way since 2020.
