Tracy DeSenti is a Hamden, Connecticut resident and addiction counselor. She and her late husband, Billy DeSenti, were both previously incarcerated in Connecticut. After her husband's death in 2023, the state pursued a lien against his estate under Connecticut's cost-of-incarceration law.
Case
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.
Role at the time: Hamden resident
Statement summary
DeSenti, who had to sell the home she and her late husband had renovated together to help satisfy the debt the state assessed for his earlier incarceration, said she still cannot process losing what she worked for.
“I still can't wrap my head around losing the thing that I worked for”
DeSenti directly objects to losing her home to satisfy the state's incarceration debt, describing the loss as something she still cannot accept.
Statement dates: September 27, 2026
