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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1309
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 4078
Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY
Introduced by:
(JUD)
AN ACT CONCERNING FINES FOR CERTAIN DISCIPLINARY
ACTIONS IN CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES AND THE DEPOSIT OF
SUCH FINES INTO A FUND FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL PERSONS
WHO ARE INCARCERATED.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) (a) The warden of each 1
correctional facility may impose, as part of any disciplinary action 2
against an incarcerated person, a fine upon any such person found to 3
have committed any of the following actions while incarcerated: (1) 4
Arson; (2) assault against another person, including against an 5
employee of the Department of Correction; (3) taking a person hostage, 6
including an employee of the Department of Correction; (4) inciting or 7
participating in a riot; (5) tampering with locking, security or safety 8
devices; (6) unauthorized or fraudulent use of a monitored [inmate] 9
incarcerated person communication procedure or device; or (7) any 10
other action that would constitute a felony under the general statutes. 11
(b) The warden may assess any fine under subsection (a) of this 12
section in an amount not less than fifteen dollars or more than fifty 13
dollars. Any assessment of such fine shall be in addition to any other 14
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penalty assessed for the commission of any action described in 15
subdivisions (1) to (7), inclusive, of subsection (a) of this section. 16
(c) The Commissioner of Correction shall deposit any fine collected 17
pursuant to this section into an account known as the Correctional 18
General Welfare Fund for purposes provided for under section 4-57a of 19
the general statutes, as amended by this act. 20
Sec. 2. Section 4-57a of the general statutes is repealed and the 21
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2025): 22
(a) As used in this section, "activity fund" means any fund operated 23
by the Commissioner of Correction for the benefit of [the inmates] 24
persons who are incarcerated, the revenue of which is derived from any 25
legal source compatible with the good government of any institution. 26
(b) The Commissioner of Correction may, with the approval of the 27
Comptroller and in accordance with procedures prescribed by the 28
Comptroller, establish one or more activity funds. The Governor may 29
allot from the funds appropriated to the Department of Correction any 30
amount needed in [his] the Governor's judgment for the establishment 31
of any such activity fund, and the Comptroller shall provide in such 32
procedures for the reimbursement of such appropriation. The use of 33
such state facilities as space, fixtures, heat and light to obtain revenue 34
from the sources designated in subsection (a) of this section, is 35
authorized. At the end of each quarter any cash balance in such fund not 36
needed for the maintenance and continuance of its activities may, with 37
the approval of the Comptroller, be transferred to the "Correctional 38
General Welfare Fund" if such a fund has been established and, if not, 39
shall remain in such activity fund. 40
(c) The management of such funds shall be under the supervision of 41
the Commissioner of Correction. The person acting as treasurer of any 42
such fund shall be bonded in an amount determined by the State 43
Insurance and Risk Management Board. 44
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(d) Unless otherwise provided by the donor, all gifts, donations or 45
bequests made to [the inmates of] persons who are incarcerated in any 46
correctional institution, unclaimed funds accumulated from money 47
deposited for the use of [inmates] persons who are incarcerated in any 48
institution, fines assessed pursuant to section 1 of this act and the 49
interest on any such [money] moneys, shall be placed in a separate fund 50
which may be known as the "Correctional General Welfare Fund" and 51
shall be used in accordance with procedures prescribed by the 52
Comptroller, for the benefit of [the inmates of] persons who are 53
incarcerated in any institution in any manner which the Commissioner 54
of Correction deems suitable. 55
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 2 October 1, 2025 4-57a
Statement of Purpose:
To allow for the assessment of fines for certain disciplinary actions in
correctional facilities that shall be deposited in the Correctional General
Welfare Fund for uses that may benefit all persons who are incarcerated.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]