Connecticut earns a C for its civil forfeiture laws
Standard of Proof
Higher bar to forfeit: Moderate conviction provision applies in drug, identity theft, and sex-trafficking cases, even if forfeiture is uncontested. It does not require conviction of the owner, only that a “person” be convicted. For other crimes, the owner must be convicted. Once the conviction provision is satisfied, property must be linked to the crime by clear and convincing evidence.
Innocent Owner Burden
Stronger protections for the innocent: The government must prove third-party owners knew about criminal activity connected to their property.
Financial Incentive
Large profit incentive: In drug cases, 69.5% of forfeiture proceeds go to law enforcement (59.5% to police and 10% to prosecutors); none in all other cases.
The letter grade reflects Connecticut’s forfeiture laws as of May 7, 2025. When we become aware of relevant reforms, we are updating the standard of proof, innocent owner burden, and financial incentive language above, but we are not updating the letter grade.
Note: Prosecutors need only meet their standard of proof—and owners can only prove their innocence—if owners make it to a judicial hearing. See flow chart.
Recent Reforms
Recommendations
What happens after personal property is seized in Connecticut?
Under Connecticut law, prosecutors’ and courts’ deadlines leading to a judicial hearing add up to 104 days, but there is no deadline for providing notice of the complaint and any criminal proceedings may add to the wait. While you wait, the government has your property, but you can try to get it back by challenging the seizure.
*Under the forfeiture statute, property can be seized only with an arrest or a search warrant. You can file a motion to try to get your property back because the seizure was invalid.
For research methods and limitations, see “How We Documented Civil Forfeiture Processes From Seizure to Hearing.”
State and Federal Forfeiture Proceeds, 2000–2023
At least $99 million in state and federal forfeiture revenue
| Year | Connecticut Forfeiture Revenues | Dept. of Justice Equitable Sharing Proceeds | Treasury Equitable Sharing Proceeds | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $568,270 | $704,026 | $94,000 | $1,366,296 |
| 2001 | $1,056,994 | $1,441,489 | $292,000 | $2,790,483 |
| 2002 | $1,707,712 | $352,271 | $85,000 | $2,144,983 |
| 2003 | $1,559,135 | $1,261,087 | $31,000 | $2,851,222 |
| 2004 | $2,444,679 | $1,350,653 | $66,000 | $3,861,332 |
| 2005 | $1,788,705 | $2,786,594 | $9,000 | $4,584,299 |
| 2006 | $1,977,013 | $1,365,596 | $284,000 | $3,626,609 |
| 2007 | $2,109,826 | $2,014,681 | $203,000 | $4,327,507 |
| 2008 | $2,052,703 | $1,890,925 | $471,000 | $4,414,628 |
| 2009 | $1,923,519 | $3,304,928 | $23,000 | $5,251,447 |
| 2010 | $2,055,430 | $1,859,498 | $11,000 | $3,925,928 |
| 2011 | $2,772,132 | $1,871,218 | $29,000 | $4,672,350 |
| 2012 | $2,274,903 | $2,643,752 | $67,000 | $4,985,655 |
| 2013 | $1,614,838 | $1,455,367 | $158,000 | $3,228,205 |
| 2014 | $1,801,784 | $8,823,913 | $440,000 | $11,065,697 |
| 2015 | $2,211,093 | $2,471,987 | $460,000 | $5,143,080 |
| 2016 | $2,516,709 | $766,241 | $354,000 | $3,636,950 |
| 2017 | $1,255,813 | $2,970,310 | $311,000 | $4,537,123 |
| 2018 | $1,508,503 | $2,739,730 | $1,113,000 | $5,361,233 |
| 2019 | $1,335,843 | $3,865,363 | $837,000 | $6,038,206 |
| 2020 | $938,408 | $1,633,399 | $822,000 | $3,393,807 |
| 2021 | $730,085 | $340,480 | $246,000 | $1,316,565 |
| 2022 | $1,007,231 | $3,102,531 | $594,000 | $4,703,762 |
| 2023 | $831,730 | $1,480,788 | $188,000 | $2,500,518 |
| Totals | $40,043,058 | $52,496,827 | $7,188,000 | $99,727,885 |
All revenue figures include both civil and criminal forfeitures. Revenues are not adjusted for inflation.
Federal Equitable Sharing
Connecticut does not prevent state and local law enforcement agencies from using the federal equitable sharing program to circumvent state forfeiture law. Since 2000, Connecticut agencies have generated nearly $60 million in equitable sharing proceeds from the departments of Justice and the Treasury. And on average from 2019 to 2023, more than 76 Connecticut agencies, or an estimated 59% of all law enforcement agencies in the state, were certified for the program.
Forfeitures Under Connecticut Law: Key Facts
Median Value
$700
From 2019 to 2023, half of Connecticut’s currency forfeitures were worth less than $700.
Property Types
From 2019 to 2023, nearly all of Connecticut’s forfeitures were solely of currency.
Proceeding Types
UNKNOWN
Connecticut does not report whether forfeitures are processed under civil or criminal forfeiture law.
Additional Findings
UNKNOWN
Agencies effectively report only limited information about currency forfeitures, resulting in limited transparency into forfeiture activity in the state.
Forfeiture Transparency and Accountability Report Card
Tracking Seized Property
CStatewide Forfeiture Reports
CPenalties for Failure to File a Report
Incomplete †Accounting for Forfeiture Fund Spending
FAccessibility of Forfeiture Records
DFinancial Audits of Forfeiture Accounts
F†No reporting requirements to enforce.
For full transparency and accountability grades, visit ij.org/TransparencyReportCards.
Data Notes
Statewide forfeiture reports with property-level data were obtained via public records requests to the chief state’s attorney and the Division of Criminal Justice. Revenues represent the value of forfeited currency and property sold in a calendar year. Because proceeds are not reported for most sold property, revenues are underestimated. Equitable sharing data are from DOJ’s and Treasury’s annual forfeiture reports. Due to differences in reporting and accounting practices, figures may not match aggregate numbers produced by the state or cover the same 12-month period as the federal data. The number of certified agencies was computed using the approved Equitable Sharing Agreement and Certification requests submitted by police, sheriff, and other local law enforcement agencies. The percentage of certified agencies was computed using that number and the total number of agencies reported in the 2018 Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies.
Legal Sources
Standard of proof: Moderate conviction provision applies in drug, identity theft, and sex-trafficking cases, even when forfeiture is uncontested. The provision does not require conviction of an owner, but only of a “person.” For other crimes, the owner must be convicted. After the conviction provision is satisfied, property must be linked to the crime by clear and convincing evidence.
Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 54-33g(a)–(c), (f), -36a(c), -36h(b)–(c), -36o(b), -36o(c) (“court shall hold a hearing”), -36p(b)–(c).
Innocent owner burden: Government.
Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 54-33g(a)–(b), -36h(b)–(c), -36o(b)–(c), -36p(b)–(c); see, e.g., State v. One 2002 Chevrolet Coupe, No. CV2200243, 2003 WL 824266, at *3–4 (Conn. Super. Ct. Jan. 23, 2003) (holding innocent owner could recover her property because state failed to prove by clear and convincing evidence that she knew about her son’s illegal activities).
Financial incentive: 69.5% (59.5% to police, 10% to prosecutors) in drug cases. In other cases, none.
Compare Conn. Gen. Stat. § 54-36i(c), with id. §§ 54-33g(d)–(e), -36o(g), -36p(g).
Process: Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 54-36a, -36f, -36h (forfeiture procedure); Conn. Prac. Book 41-13 (2025), and State v. Redmond, 171 A.3d 1052 (Conn. App. Ct. 2017) (petition for return).