Sec. 18-50. Credit against unpaid fine for time spent in confinement, employed or performing community service. Payment of fines, fees and costs after commitment. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 18-50. Credit against unpaid fine for time spent in confinement, employed or performing community service. Payment of fines, fees and costs after commitment. (a)(1) Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsection, each person committed to any community correctional center upon conviction of any criminal offense, and held therein only for the payment of a fine, shall be discharged from confinement when the time served by such person at a per diem rate equal to the average daily cost of incarceration as determined by the Commissioner of Correction amounts to such fine or the balance thereof remaining unpaid. Such person shall earn an additional credit of fifty dollars toward such fine or balance thereof remaining unpaid for each day such person is employed at productive or maintenance work and has established a satisfactory work record. In computing the number of days to be served, credit shall be given for Sundays, holidays and the day of admission. Each person so committed shall be released during the day following that which completes the time to be served when computed in accordance with this subdivision, or immediately upon payment of the fine in full.

      (2) Each person committed to any community correctional center upon conviction of any criminal offense, and held therein only for the payment of a fine, may be released from confinement by the Commissioner of Correction and, with the agreement of the Court Support Services Division within the Judicial Department, be transferred to said division subject to the requirement that such person perform community service under the supervision of said division until the period of community service performed by such person at the rate of fifty dollars a day amounts to such fine or the balance thereof remaining unpaid. Any person so transferred shall remain under the jurisdiction of the commissioner. Such person shall be discharged from the jurisdiction of the commissioner when such person completes the period of community service required to be performed when computed in accordance with this subdivision or immediately upon payment of the fine in full. If, at any time during such person's release from confinement pursuant to this subdivision, the commissioner determines that the conduct of such person is unsuitable for continuation in such program of community service, such person may be returned to confinement.

      (3) Payments of fines after commitment shall be made to the clerk of the court which imposed the sentence, and such clerk shall thereupon issue a certificate, which shall be delivered to the Community Correctional Center Administrator as evidence of such payment and shall be attached to and retained with the mittimus or other commitment process, except that, if payment is made at any time when the office of such clerk is not open, such payment shall be made to any person designated by the Community Correctional Center Administrator at the community correctional center where such person is confined, and such person so designated shall transmit the payment to the clerk of the court on the first court day thereafter. No person shall be held in confinement for failure to pay a fine after such a certificate showing that such fine has been fully paid has been delivered to the Community Correctional Center Administrator; provided, if a fine is paid to a person designated to accept it when the office of the clerk is not open, the person confined to the community correctional center shall immediately be released without requiring the prior issuance of such certificate.

      (b) Payments by persons committed to community correctional centers of fees imposed under the provisions of section 51-56a or costs imposed under the provisions of section 54-143 or 54-143a shall be made to the clerk of the court location which imposed the sentence, except that if payment is made at any time when the office of such clerk is not open, such payment shall be made to any official at the correctional center where such person is confined and such official shall transmit the payment to the clerk of the court on the first court day thereafter.

      (1949 Rev., S. 3040; 1955, S. 1689d; 1959, P.A. 152, S. 43; 615, S. 17; 1963, P.A. 38; February, 1965, P.A. 607, S. 1; 1969, P.A. 297; P.A. 75-355, S. 1, 3; P.A. 83-279, S. 1, 4; P.A. 02-18, S. 1; P.A. 04-234, S. 12.)

      History: 1959 acts deleted provision re sentence imposed by trial justice and substituted jail administrator for sheriff or jailer; 1963 act changed technical language, raised rate from $2 to $3 per day and added provision for additional credit; 1965 act added exception re payments made at jail and proviso re release of person continued without certificate; 1969 act replaced jails with community correctional centers; P.A. 75-355 changed equivalency of imprisonment to dollars from $3 to $10 per day and increased work credit from $2 to $10 per day worked; P.A. 83-279 added Subsec. (b) re procedure for payment of certain fees and costs by persons committed to correctional centers; P.A. 02-18 amended Subsec. (a) to designate existing provisions re computation of credit for time served or time spent employed as Subdiv. (1), to amend Subdiv. (1) by adding exception re Subdiv. (2), increasing the credit for time served from $10 to $50 a day and the additional credit for time spent employed from $10 to $50 a day and making technical changes, to add new Subdiv. (2) authorizing the release from confinement of a person for purposes of earning a credit against an unpaid fine by performing community service and to designate existing provisions re payment of fines after commitment as Subdiv. (3); P.A. 04-234 amended Subsec. (a)(1) to replace rate of $50 a day with "a per diem rate equal to the average daily cost of incarceration as determined by the Commissioner of Correction", effective June 8, 2004.

      See Sec. 18-85 re compensation of inmates.

      See Sec. 18-97 re presentence confinement credit.

      Cited. 231 C. 514.

      Cited. 31 CS 461.

      Cited. 5 Conn. Cir. Ct. 229.