Connecticut Criminal Laws: Felony and Misdemeanor Classes, Theft, Self-Defense and Bail

A felony is an offense punishable by more than one year of imprisonment. Felonies are classified as Class A, B, C, D, E, unclassified, and capital felonies (under § 53a-54b as in effect before April 25, 2012). Prison terms (§ 53a-35a): Class A felony (other than murder and other specially listed offenses) — not less than ten years nor more than twenty-five years; Class B felony (other than first-degree manslaughter with a firearm) — not less than one year nor more than twenty years; Class C — not less than one year nor more than ten years; Class D — not more than five years; Class E — not more than three years. Maximum fines (§ 53a-41), unless the defining statute says otherwise: Class A — $20,000; Class B — $15,000; Class C — $10,000; Class D — $5,000; Class E — $3,500; unclassified — as the defining statute specifies.

A misdemeanor is an offense punishable by not more than one year of imprisonment, classified as Class A, B, C, D and unclassified. Maximum jail (§ 53a-36): Class A — one year; Class B — six months; Class C — three months; Class D — thirty days. Maximum fines (§ 53a-42): Class A — $2,000; Class B — $1,000; Class C — $500; Class D — $250; unclassified — as the defining statute specifies. A 'violation' is an offense for which the only sentence authorized is a fine (unless expressly designated an infraction); the fine for a violation may not exceed $500 unless the defining statute specifies otherwise.

Larceny becomes a felony (third degree, Class D felony) when the property or service value exceeds $2,000. Tiers: sixth degree — $500 or less (Class C misdemeanor); fifth degree — exceeds $500 (Class B misdemeanor); fourth degree — exceeds $1,000 (Class A misdemeanor); third degree — exceeds $2,000 (Class D felony); second degree — exceeds $10,000 (Class C felony); first degree — exceeds $20,000 (Class B felony). Some forms of larceny (e.g., by extortion, or defrauding a public community) are graded differently regardless of these amounts.

Connecticut has a duty to retreat. A person is not justified in using deadly physical force if he or she knows that the necessity of using it can be avoided with complete safety by retreating, except that the actor is not required to retreat if he or she is in his or her dwelling or place of work and was not the initial aggressor, or is a peace officer or a private person assisting a peace officer at the officer's direction. Deadly force is also not justified if the person knows it can be avoided by surrendering property to a person claiming a right to it, or by complying with a demand to abstain from an act the person is not obligated to perform.

No duty to retreat applies in one's dwelling or place of work if the person was not the initial aggressor (§ 53a-19(b)). A person in possession or control of premises (or licensed or privileged to be there) may use reasonable physical force to prevent or end a criminal trespass, but may use deadly physical force only (1) in defense of a person as provided in § 53a-19, (2) when reasonably believed necessary to prevent the trespasser's attempt to commit arson or any crime of violence, or (3) to the extent reasonably believed necessary to prevent or terminate an unlawful entry by force into his dwelling or place of work, and for the sole purpose of such prevention or termination. Deadly force may not be used merely to defend property against larceny or criminal mischief (§ 53a-21).

No time limit for prosecuting capital felonies, Class A felonies, violations of §§ 53a-54d or 53a-169, and certain sexual offenses where the victim was a minor at the time of the offense. Twenty years for Class B felony violations of §§ 53a-70, 53a-70a or 53a-70b, Class C felony violations of §§ 53a-71 or 53a-72b, and Class D felony violations of § 53a-72a. For sexual abuse, exploitation or assault of a victim who was eighteen, nineteen or twenty: not later than thirty years after the victim turns twenty-one. Ten years for a Class A misdemeanor violation of § 53a-73a where the victim was twenty-one or older. Other offenses punishable by more than one year: five years after the offense. All other offenses: one year after the offense.

After arrest, a bail commissioner (or intake, assessment and referral specialist) must promptly order release on the first condition found sufficient to reasonably ensure appearance (§ 54-63d). At arraignment, the Superior Court must order release on the first of these conditions found sufficient to reasonably ensure appearance in court: (A) a written promise to appear without special conditions; (B) a written promise to appear with nonfinancial conditions; (C) a bond without surety in no greater amount than necessary; (D) a bond with surety in no greater amount than necessary — and a judge may not prohibit a bond from being posted by surety. For a person charged only with a misdemeanor, the court may not impose financial conditions of release unless the charge is a family violence crime, the person requests it, or the court finds a likely risk of flight, obstruction or threats to safety. Factors the court may consider include the nature and circumstances of the offense, prior convictions, record of appearance, family and community ties, employment, financial resources and mental condition. Certain serious firearm offenders must deposit at least thirty per cent of any bond amount directly with the court.

The Division of Public Defender Services represents indigent defendants. An 'indigent defendant' includes a person formally charged with a crime punishable by imprisonment who lacks the financial ability, at the time of the request, to secure competent counsel. A public defender investigates the person's finances and has the person complete a written statement under oath or affirmation of liabilities, assets, income and sources of income. On and after July 1, 2025, eligibility is assessed under guidelines set by the Public Defender Services Commission, and a person whose income under those guidelines is two hundred fifty per cent or less of the federal poverty level may qualify. The court, after the public defender's investigation, appoints counsel if it finds the defendant indigent. In a misdemeanor case the court need not appoint counsel if it states on the record that the case will be resolved without immediate incarceration or a suspended sentence with probation.

Sexual assault in the second degree (§ 53a-71(a)(1)) includes sexual intercourse where the other person 'is thirteen years of age or older but under sixteen years of age and the actor is more than three years older than such other person' — making 16 the age of consent, with a close-in-age exception for partners not more than three years apart. It is a Class C felony, or a Class B felony if the victim is under sixteen. Sexual intercourse with a person under thirteen when the actor is more than two years older is sexual assault in the first degree (§ 53a-70(a)(2)).

Adult-use cannabis is legal. A person twenty-one or older may possess, use and consume cannabis, up to one and one-half ounces of cannabis plant material on the person and five ounces of cannabis plant material in a locked container at the residence or in a locked glove box or trunk of a motor vehicle (or equivalent amounts of cannabis products). Possessing more than the limit (but below the higher amounts in subsection (e)) is fined one hundred dollars for a first offense and two hundred fifty dollars for a subsequent offense. Larger amounts (subsection (e)) are fined five hundred dollars for a first offense, and a subsequent offense is a Class C misdemeanor. Ages 18 to 20 with less than five ounces: must view and sign a statement on the health effects of cannabis on young people; fined fifty dollars for a first offense, one hundred fifty dollars for a subsequent offense. Under 18 with less than five ounces: written warning for a first offense; may not be arrested for the violation.

Connecticut grades assault by degree. Assault in the third degree (intentionally causing physical injury, recklessly causing serious physical injury, or negligently injuring someone with a deadly weapon, dangerous instrument or electronic defense weapon) is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. Assault in the second degree, a Class D felony (up to five years), or a Class C felony (one to ten years) if the offense resulted in serious physical injury, covers intentionally causing serious physical injury, injuring someone with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, drugging someone without consent, or striking or kicking the head of a person who is lying down. Assault in the first degree is a Class B felony (one to twenty years) and includes intentionally causing serious physical injury with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, serious and permanent disfigurement, and injuring someone by discharging a firearm; five years of the sentence cannot be suspended when a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument is used, and ten years when the victim is under ten or a known witness.

Connecticut has no separate crime called battery. Unwanted physical contact that causes injury is charged under the assault statutes, graded by degree from assault in the third degree (Class A misdemeanor) up to assault in the first degree (Class B felony). There is no separate domestic battery offense; see domestic violence.

Connecticut does not have a separate domestic assault crime. A crime committed against a family or household member (spouses or former spouses, parents and children, relatives, people who live or have lived together, people with a child in common, and people in or recently in a dating relationship) that involves physical harm or threatened violence is designated a 'family violence crime' and is charged under the ordinary assault, threatening or other statutes. Choking or smothering someone so that it impedes breathing or blood circulation is strangulation or suffocation in the second degree, a Class D felony (up to five years); it is first degree, a Class C felony (one to ten years), when a dangerous instrument is used, serious physical injury results, or the person has a prior strangulation conviction; reckless strangulation is third degree, a Class A misdemeanor. A persistent offender, meaning someone convicted of third-degree assault, stalking, threatening, harassment, violating a protective order or criminal trespass who has a qualifying prior conviction, is sentenced as for the next more serious class, and a Class A misdemeanor is then punished as a Class D felony.

Shoplifting is a form of larceny in Connecticut: intentionally taking goods offered for sale with the intention of converting them to one's own use without paying, and concealing unpurchased goods creates a presumption of that intent. It is graded by value like other larceny; property worth five hundred dollars or less is larceny in the sixth degree, a Class C misdemeanor (up to three months and a $500 fine). Under the civil shoplifting statute, an adult or emancipated minor who shoplifts or alters price tags is liable to the store for the costs of the lawsuit including a reasonable attorney's fee, the retail value of goods not recovered or recovered unmerchantable, and punitive damages not to exceed three hundred dollars; no criminal conviction is required. Possessing a shoplifting device is a separate Class A misdemeanor.

Burglary is entering or remaining unlawfully in a building with intent to commit a crime there. Burglary in the third degree is a Class D felony (up to five years); second degree, unlawfully entering a dwelling while someone else is present, is a Class C felony (one to ten years); first degree, being armed with explosives or a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, injuring or trying to injure someone, or entering a dwelling at night, is a Class B felony (one to twenty years). Home invasion, entering an occupied dwelling and committing a felony against a person there or being armed, is a Class A felony with ten years that may not be suspended. Robbery is using or threatening immediate physical force while committing a larceny; simple robbery is third degree (Class D felony), robbery with an accomplice present or displaying what is represented to be a deadly weapon is second degree (Class C felony), and robbery causing serious physical injury, being armed with a deadly weapon, using a dangerous instrument, or displaying what is represented to be a firearm is first degree (Class B felony).

Vandalism is called criminal mischief in Connecticut. Intentionally or recklessly damaging another person's property is criminal mischief in the third degree, a Class B misdemeanor (up to six months and $1,000). Intentionally damaging property in an amount exceeding two hundred fifty dollars is second degree, a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year and $2,000), and damage exceeding one thousand five hundred dollars is first degree, a Class D felony (up to five years and $5,000). Intentionally interrupting public utility, transportation, communication or emergency services, or damaging court-ordered electronic monitoring equipment, is also first degree. Tampering with fire hydrants or fire or police alarms is fourth degree, a Class C misdemeanor.

Entering or staying on any premises knowing one is not allowed, without intent to harm property, is simple trespass, an infraction. Criminal trespass in the third degree (entering posted or fenced land or state institution grounds, or posted public land) is a Class C misdemeanor, but entering for hunting, trapping or fishing is a Class B misdemeanor with a fine of five hundred to one thousand dollars. Knowingly entering or remaining in a building, or on public land, without permission is second degree, a Class B misdemeanor (up to six months). Staying after being personally told to leave by the owner or an authorized person, or entering in violation of a restraining or protective order, is first degree, a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year and $2,000).

Possessing any quantity of a controlled substance other than cannabis is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. On a second offense the court evaluates the person and, if the person is drug-dependent, may suspend prosecution and order substance abuse treatment; a later offense may be treated under the persistent-offender statute. Using or possessing drug paraphernalia for drugs other than cannabis is a Class C misdemeanor. People charged with possession or paraphernalia can apply for the pretrial drug education and community service program (drug education or treatment of at least fifteen sessions plus community service); on satisfactory completion the court shall dismiss the charges. A person who has twice participated is generally ineligible.

A driver knowingly involved in a crash must stop, give assistance and give name, address, license and registration number, or report to police if unable to. Leaving the scene of a crash that causes property damage is a Class A misdemeanor for a first offense (up to one year) and a Class D felony for any later offense. Leaving after a crash that causes physical injury is a Class D felony (up to five years). Leaving after a crash that causes serious physical injury or death is a Class B felony (one to twenty years).

Reckless driving is driving on a public highway, certain private roads, school property or a parking area for ten or more cars recklessly, considering the width, traffic and use of the road and the weather; it includes driving at a speed that endangers someone else's life and driving faster than eighty-five miles per hour. A first offense is punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred nor more than three hundred dollars, up to thirty days in jail, or both; each later offense is punishable by a fine up to six hundred dollars, up to one year in jail, or both.

Harassment in the second degree, a Class C misdemeanor (up to three months), is communicating by mail, email, text, social media, phone or other means, with intent to harass, terrorize or alarm and for no legitimate purpose, in a manner likely to cause terror, intimidation or alarm. Threatening to kill or injure someone in writing or electronically is harassment in the first degree, a Class D felony, when the person has certain prior serious felony convictions. Stalking in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor, is knowingly engaging in a course of conduct (including through electronic or social media) that would make a reasonable person fear for safety or suffer emotional distress, and also covers threatening someone's job and malicious online posting of personal information (doxxing). Stalking becomes first degree, a Class D felony (up to five years), with a prior stalking conviction, a violation of a court order, an adult 22 or older targeting a victim under 16, or bias motivation. Using electronic services to surveil or harass someone with intent to kill, injure, harass or intimidate is electronic stalking, also a Class D felony; repeatedly following or lying in wait is third-degree stalking, a Class B misdemeanor.

Connecticut calls resisting arrest interfering with an officer: obstructing, resisting, hindering or endangering a peace officer or firefighter performing duties. It is a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year and $2,000), or a Class D felony if it causes someone's death or serious physical injury. A driver who speeds up to escape or elude a police vehicle signaling with lights or siren commits a Class A misdemeanor; it is a Class C felony (one to ten years) with a one-year license suspension if it causes death or serious physical injury, and any later offense is a Class C felony. Simply failing to stop promptly when signaled by an officer is an infraction with a fifty-dollar fine.

Skipping court is a crime in Connecticut, called failure to appear. If you are charged with a felony and out on bail or other release (or on probation for a felony and called to a probation-violation hearing) and wilfully fail to appear, it is failure to appear in the first degree, a Class D felony (up to five years and a $5,000 fine). If the charge is a misdemeanor or a jailable motor vehicle violation (or you are on probation for one), it is failure to appear in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year and a $2,000 fine). Unless good cause is shown, a court may not issue a rearrest warrant or capias for a second-degree failure to appear before 4 p.m. on the day of the missed appearance.

A judge decides probation violations in Connecticut. The court may issue an arrest warrant or a notice to appear, and a probation officer may arrest without a warrant or have police arrest the person. At the hearing, the person is told how they allegedly violated probation, may have a lawyer (a public defender if they cannot afford one), and may cross-examine witnesses and present evidence; the charge must generally be resolved or set for hearing within 120 days of arraignment. If the violation is proved by reliable and probative evidence and by a preponderance of the evidence, the court may continue probation, modify or enlarge the conditions, extend the period (within the limits of § 53a-29), or revoke probation and order the person to serve the suspended sentence or a lesser sentence. Revocation is mandatory when the violation was a serious firearm offense or the person is a serious firearm offender.

Connecticut has no single crime called obstruction of justice; it uses several offenses. Interfering with an officer (obstructing, resisting, hindering or endangering a peace officer or firefighter) is a Class A misdemeanor, or a Class D felony if it causes death or serious physical injury. Tampering with a witness (trying to get a witness to lie, stay silent or skip a proceeding) is a Class C felony, and intimidating a witness by force or threat of force is a Class B felony. Tampering with or fabricating physical evidence is a Class D felony, and hindering prosecution (helping someone who committed a serious felony) ranges from a Class D to a Class C felony.

Lying under oath (or in an authorized unsworn declaration) about a material matter in an official proceeding is perjury, a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Being coerced into it by another person is an affirmative defense. A separate, lesser offense, false statement, covers intentionally making a false written statement under oath or on a form warning that false statements are punishable, meant to mislead a public servant; it is a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year and $2,000).

Being drunk in public is not listed as a crime in Connecticut's penal code. Instead, the law treats it as a health matter: a police officer may, with the person's consent, help an intoxicated person in a public place get home or to a treatment facility or hospital, and must take a person who appears incapacitated by alcohol into protective custody and bring them to a treatment facility or hospital. The statute says protective custody is not an arrest and no record may be made indicating that the person was arrested or charged with a crime. Disruptive behavior while drunk can still be charged under other laws such as disorderly conduct or breach of the peace.

Disorderly conduct covers acting, with intent to cause (or recklessly risking) inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, by fighting or violent or threatening behavior, annoying or interfering with someone through offensive conduct, making unreasonable noise, disturbing a lawful meeting, blocking traffic, refusing a lawful order to disperse, or peeping into a dwelling while trespassing. It is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by up to three months in jail and a $500 fine. The more serious related offense, breach of the peace in the second degree (for example fighting in public, striking someone, threatening a crime, or using abusive or obscene language in a public place), is a Class B misdemeanor (up to six months and $1,000), and breach of the peace in the first degree is a Class D felony.

Indecent exposure is charged in Connecticut as public indecency: in a public place (anywhere the conduct may reasonably be expected to be seen by others), having sexual intercourse, lewdly exposing the body with intent to arouse or satisfy sexual desire, or lewdly fondling another person. Public indecency is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The public indecency statute itself does not make the offense a felony.

Prostitution (a person 18 or older engaging, agreeing or offering to engage in sexual conduct for a fee) is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,000 fine; being a victim of human trafficking is an affirmative defense. Buying sex is charged as soliciting sexual acts, also a Class A misdemeanor, and the statute requires a fine of $2,000. Connecticut has no legal exception for prostitution.

Connecticut allows the state lottery, pari-mutuel betting at state-licensed race tracks, state-authorized off-track betting, authorized games at casino gaming facilities, online casino gaming, online and retail sports wagering, and fantasy contests as authorized by §§ 12-852 to 12-865, plus certain free promotional drawings and sweepstakes. Other gambling is illegal: engaging in gambling, soliciting others, or being present where gambling occurs is a Class B misdemeanor (up to six months and $1,000), with an exemption for social games among natural persons where no one profits as a professional gambler. Professional gambling is a Class A misdemeanor (up to one year and $2,000).

Embezzlement (wrongfully taking property of another that is in your care or custody, such as an employee or trustee keeping money entrusted to them) is a form of larceny in Connecticut and is graded by value under the general larceny statutes. It ranges from larceny in the sixth degree ($500 or less, a Class C misdemeanor) up to larceny in the first degree (value over $20,000, a Class B felony punishable by one to twenty years); it becomes a felony (third degree, Class D) when the value exceeds $2,000.

Identity theft (knowingly using another person's identifying information to obtain money, credit, goods, services, property or medical information without consent) is always a felony in Connecticut. The base offense is identity theft in the third degree, a Class D felony (up to five years). It is second degree, a Class C felony, if the value obtained exceeds $5,000 or the victim is 60 or older, and first degree, a Class B felony, if the value exceeds $10,000 (or $5,000 when the victim is 60 or older). Credit or debit card misuse is charged under the payment card statutes: illegal use of a payment card is a Class A misdemeanor if the value obtained is $500 or less in any six-month period, and a Class D felony if it exceeds $500.

Forgery means falsely making, completing or altering a written instrument, or issuing or possessing one known to be forged, with intent to defraud, deceive or injure. Forgery in the third degree (any written instrument) is a Class B misdemeanor; forgery in the second degree (deeds, wills, contracts, public records, government-issued documents, prescriptions and similar instruments) is a Class D felony; forgery in the first degree (government money, stamps or securities, or corporate stocks and bonds) is a Class C felony. Issuing a bad check (knowing there are insufficient funds and payment is refused) is a Class C misdemeanor for $500 or less, Class B misdemeanor over $500 to $1,000, Class A misdemeanor over $1,000 to $2,000, and a Class D felony over $2,000.

Blackmail or extortion, getting property by making someone afraid that you or another will injure someone, damage property, commit a crime, accuse them of a crime, expose a secret, or take similar harmful action, is charged as larceny by extortion. Larceny by extortion is larceny in the first degree regardless of the value taken, a Class B felony punishable by one to twenty years and a $15,000 fine. Coercion (forcing someone to do or not do something through similar threats, without taking property) is a Class A misdemeanor, or a Class D felony if the threat is to commit a felony.

Connecticut does not split murder into first and second degree. Murder is intentionally causing someone's death (or causing a suicide by force, duress or deception); proving extreme emotional disturbance with a reasonable explanation reduces it to first-degree manslaughter. Murder is a Class A felony punished by 25 years to life, and a life sentence means a definite 60 years. Felony murder (a death caused during a robbery, home invasion, burglary, kidnapping, first-degree or third-degree sexual assault, or escape) is also murder. Murder with special circumstances (for example killing a police officer, murder for hire, killing two or more people, or killing a child under 16) committed by an adult is punished by life imprisonment without the possibility of release, as is arson murder.

Manslaughter in the first degree (intending serious injury and causing death, killing under extreme emotional disturbance, or recklessly killing with extreme indifference to human life) is a Class B felony (1 to 20 years); with a firearm it is 5 to 40 years with 5 years that cannot be suspended. Manslaughter in the second degree (recklessly causing a death, or helping someone commit suicide) is a Class C felony (1 to 10 years). Killing someone while driving drunk or drugged is manslaughter in the second degree with a motor vehicle, a Class C felony plus a one-year license suspension and two years of an ignition interlock. Causing a death by criminally negligent driving is misconduct with a motor vehicle, a Class D felony (up to 5 years); negligent driving that causes a death is negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, up to 3 years and a $3,500 fine; and other criminally negligent homicide is a Class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year).

Connecticut's child endangerment crime is called risk of injury to a child. Wilfully or unlawfully putting a child under 16 in a situation where the child's life or limb is endangered, health is likely to be injured or morals are likely to be impaired, or doing any act likely to impair the child's health or morals, is a Class C felony (1 to 10 years). Sexual contact with the intimate parts of a child under 16 under this law is a Class B felony (1 to 20 years), with five years that cannot be suspended if the child is under 13. Selling or buying custody of a child under 16 outside a lawful adoption is also a Class C felony. Leaving an infant 30 days old or younger with a designated hospital employee under the safe-haven law is not a crime under this section.

Arson in the first degree is starting a fire or explosion to destroy or damage a building when the building is or may be occupied, someone is injured, it is done to collect insurance, or a police officer or firefighter at the scene faces a substantial risk of injury; it is a Class A felony (10 to 25 years). Arson in the second degree (the fire puts another person at substantial risk of injury, is meant to hide another crime or to deprive someone of civil rights, or is set by a hired person) is a Class B felony (1 to 20 years). Arson in the third degree is recklessly damaging a building, your own or another's, by intentionally starting a fire or explosion, a Class C felony (1 to 10 years). Reckless burning, intentionally starting a fire that recklessly endangers another person's building, is a Class D felony (up to 5 years). If someone dies during an arson, it is arson murder, punished by life without parole.

Torturing, beating, starving, abandoning or neglecting an animal in your care (failing to give proper food, water, air or shelter) is punishable for a first offense by up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine, and any later offense is a Class D felony (up to 5 years). Maliciously and intentionally maiming, mutilating, torturing, wounding or killing an animal is a Class D felony for a first offense and a Class C felony (1 to 10 years) for a repeat offense. Animal fighting is a Class D felony, and intentionally killing a police animal or search-and-rescue dog on duty carries up to 10 years and a $10,000 fine. On any conviction under this law, the court must bar the person for five years from owning, possessing, living with, adopting or fostering any animal and from jobs or volunteer roles involving animal care.

Yes. Connecticut's crime is unlawful dissemination of an intimate image: intentionally sharing a nude or sexual image of another person without consent, knowing the person expected it would not be shared, where the person is harmed. Sharing it with one person is a Class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year and $2,000); sharing it with more than one person through an online, information or telecommunications service is a Class D felony (up to 5 years and $5,000). A newer offense (2025) covers sexually explicit fake or computer-generated images: a Class D misdemeanor for one recipient (a Class A misdemeanor if the image was made or obtained to harm the person), and a Class C misdemeanor when shared with more than one person online (a Class D felony with intent to harm). Images from voluntary public or commercial exposure and images of people who cannot be identified are excluded.

Harassment in the second degree covers sending electronic messages, texts, emails or social-media messages, making calls, or posting photos, videos or words to an online meeting space, with intent to harass, terrorize or alarm and in a way likely to cause terror, intimidation or alarm; it is a Class C misdemeanor (up to 3 months and $500). Threatening to kill or injure someone by computer or other written communication is harassment in the first degree, a Class D felony, when the sender has certain prior serious felony convictions. School bullying, including electronic bullying, is handled through the school-climate laws in the education title, which set school duties rather than criminal penalties.

Connecticut has a special, lower-level offense for teen sexting. A person under 18 who knowingly possesses a sexual image of someone under 16 that the pictured person voluntarily sent them by phone or computer, or a person under 16 who voluntarily sends a sexual image of themselves to someone under 18, commits a Class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year and $2,000) instead of the felony child sexual abuse material offenses.

Connecticut grades money laundering by intent and amount. Exchanging more than $10,000 in proceeds of a felony to hide that they came from selling illegal drugs, or to help or profit from drug sales, is first degree, a Class B felony (1 to 20 years). Doing so with more than $10,000 to hide any criminal source, or to help a crime, is second degree, a Class C felony (1 to 10 years). Exchanging more than $10,000 knowing the exchange will hide the source or aid criminal activity is third degree, a Class D felony (up to 5 years). The same knowing conduct with any amount is fourth degree, a Class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year).

Trafficking in persons covers both sex and labor trafficking: using force, threats, fraud or coercion to make someone provide sexual contact or labor or services, making a person under 18 engage in commercial sexual contact, or otherwise recruiting, harboring, transporting or providing a person for sex in exchange for anything of value. It is a Class A felony, punishable by 10 to 25 years in prison and up to a $20,000 fine. A defendant under 18 has an affirmative defense if their participation resulted from being trafficked themselves.

Pedestrians must obey Walk/Don't Walk signals, may not cross against a red or stop signal at signal-controlled intersections, and may not cross outside a crosswalk there. Elsewhere, a pedestrian crossing outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk must yield to vehicles, may not cross an intersection diagonally unless a signal or officer allows it, and may not cross between adjacent signal-controlled intersections except in a marked crosswalk; walking in the road where a usable sidewalk exists or darting into traffic is also prohibited. Violations of these pedestrian rules are infractions (a ticket, not a crime). Drivers must stop for pedestrians in crosswalks and can be fined up to $750 for violating the crosswalk law.

Connecticut's statutes do not ban simply having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle. What the law forbids is the driver drinking any alcoholic liquor while operating a motor vehicle on a public road, a parking area for ten or more cars, certain private roads or school property; this is a Class C misdemeanor (up to 3 months and a $500 fine). Drunk-driving laws apply separately.

A minor who possesses alcohol in a public or private place commits an infraction for a first offense and faces a $200 to $500 fine for a later offense (exceptions apply when with a parent, guardian or spouse who is 21 or older, for employees, or on a doctor's order, and a minor who calls 911 for someone in danger and cooperates is not prosecuted). An underage person who buys or tries to buy alcohol or lies to get it is fined $200 to $500. Lying about age or using someone else's license to buy alcohol is punished by a $200 to $500 fine, up to 30 days in jail, or both. A person under 21 convicted of misusing a license this way loses their driver's license for 150 days; a possession conviction brings a 60-day or 30-day suspension, and someone without a license must wait 150 days before getting one.

Driving while your license is suspended or revoked is punished, for a first offense, by a $150 to $200 fine, up to 3 months in jail, or both; a later offense brings a $200 to $600 fine, up to 1 year, or both, plus extra penalties for repeat unlicensed or suspended driving (a fine up to $500 or community service after one prior, and a one-year sentence with 90 days mandatory after two or more priors). If the suspension was for drunk driving or a related offense, a first violation carries a $500 to $1,000 fine and up to 1 year in jail with 30 days mandatory; a second, up to 2 years with 120 days mandatory, and harsher terms follow for third offenses.

Driving without ever getting a license is, for a first offense, an infraction with a $75 to $90 fine; a later offense brings a $250 to $350 fine, up to 30 days in jail, or both, with added penalties after prior unlicensed or suspended-license violations. Someone under 18 convicted of unlicensed driving cannot get a license (or has it suspended) for at least one year. A licensed driver who simply fails to carry the license commits an infraction.

Connecticut bans carrying on your person a dirk knife, switch knife, any automatic spring-release knife with a blade over 1.5 inches, a stiletto, or any knife with an edged blade 4 inches or longer, along with other dangerous weapons; it is a Class E felony (up to 3 years) and the weapon is forfeited. Having any of those knives in a vehicle you own, drive or ride in is a Class D felony (up to 5 years). Exceptions for knives 4 inches or longer include military members on duty, people moving household goods, taking a knife for repair, knife shows, historic reenactments, and licensed hunters, fishers and trappers during lawful activity.

Most consumer fireworks are illegal in Connecticut. People 16 and older may buy, sell, use and possess only non-explosive, non-aerial sparklers and fountains with no more than 100 grams of pyrotechnic mixture per item (with limits on magnesium and chlorate content). Selling, using or possessing other fireworks is a Class C misdemeanor (up to 3 months and $500); selling or possessing to sell more than $10,000 worth is a Class A misdemeanor. Public displays require a state permit and a certified operator; violating display rules is a Class A misdemeanor, or a Class C felony if death or injury results.

Kidnapping in the first degree (abducting someone to get a ransom, to injure or sexually abuse them, to help commit a felony, to terrorize, or to interfere with a government function) is a class A felony (10 to 25 years, up to a $20,000 fine); doing it with a firearm is a separate class A felony. Kidnapping in the second degree (any abduction) is a class B felony (1 to 20 years, up to $15,000), and three years of the sentence cannot be suspended or reduced; the same applies to second-degree kidnapping with a firearm. Unlawful restraint (holding someone against their will) is a class D felony (up to 5 years) in the first degree, when it exposes the person to a substantial risk of physical injury, and a class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year) in the second degree.

Connecticut calls this 'threatening.' Threatening in the second degree (by physical threat putting someone in fear of imminent serious physical injury, or threatening a crime of violence intending to terrorize or with reckless disregard of that risk) is a class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year, $2,000), raised to a class D felony (up to 5 years) when the person threatened is at a house of worship, religious community center, school, college or day care during operating hours or events. Threatening in the first degree (threatening a crime with a hazardous substance, threatening violence to cause an evacuation or serious public inconvenience, or second-degree threatening while displaying or claiming to have a firearm) is a class D felony, or a class C felony (1 to 10 years) when aimed at evacuating a house of worship, school or day care.

Larceny of a motor vehicle (stealing a car, construction equipment, farm tractor or a major part of one) is a class E felony (up to 3 years) for a first offense, a class D felony (up to 5 years) for a second, and a class B felony (1 to 20 years) for any later offense, regardless of the vehicle's value. Forcible entry, a forced ignition or an altered VIN is prima facie evidence that the person knew the vehicle was stolen. Using a motor vehicle or boat without the owner's permission (joyriding) or tampering with a vehicle is a class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year) for a first offense and a class D felony for each later offense.

Receiving, keeping or disposing of property while knowing or believing it was probably stolen is a form of larceny ('larceny by receiving stolen property'), graded by value like other larceny: $500 or less, sixth degree (class C misdemeanor, up to 3 months); over $500, fifth degree (class B misdemeanor, up to 6 months); over $1,000, fourth degree (class A misdemeanor, up to 1 year); over $2,000, third degree (class D felony, up to 5 years); over $10,000, second degree (class C felony, 1 to 10 years); over $20,000, first degree (class B felony, 1 to 20 years). It is not a crime if the property was taken in order to return it to the owner.

Connecticut has no state law that creates a separate 'organized retail theft' offense (reviewed). Thefts from stores are charged as larceny (shoplifting is a form of larceny), and amounts taken under one scheme or course of conduct, from one or several victims, may be added together to set the degree, from a class C misdemeanor ($500 or less) up to a class B felony (over $20,000). Possessing a device designed to defeat store anti-theft systems is a separate class A misdemeanor.

Selling, making, transporting or possessing with intent to sell a narcotic or hallucinogen carries up to 15 years and a $50,000 fine for a first offense, and up to 30 years for later offenses; other controlled substances (except cannabis) carry up to 7 years and $25,000, then up to 15 years. For a person who is not drug-dependent, selling a narcotic, hallucinogen, amphetamine-type drug or 1 kilogram or more of a cannabis-type substance brings 5 to 20 years (10 to 25 for later offenses), and selling at least 1 ounce of heroin or methadone, half an ounce of cocaine, or 5 milligrams of LSD brings 5 years to life; these minimums cannot be suspended except for offenders under 18 or with significantly impaired mental capacity. Mandatory consecutive add-ons apply: 2 years for an adult selling to someone under 18, and 3 years for selling within 200 feet of a school, public housing project or licensed child care center or for using a minor to sell.

It is illegal to get or try to get a controlled substance by fraud, deceit or a false name or address, by forging or altering a prescription, or to make or pass a forged prescription; 'doctor shopping' (knowingly taking controlled substances or prescriptions from a second practitioner during treatment without disclosing it, intending to obtain drugs for abuse) is also banned. The section sets no penalty of its own, so the chapter's general penalty applies: up to 2 years in prison and a $3,500 fine for a first offense, and a class C felony (1 to 10 years) for a later offense.

Assault in the second degree with a motor vehicle (causing serious physical injury to someone while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs) is a class D felony (up to 5 years, up to $5,000). The court must also suspend the driver's license for one year and require an ignition interlock for two years after it is restored. Recklessly causing serious physical injury is assault in the third degree, a class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year), under the general assault law.

Driving on a public highway or parking area in a race, contest, demonstration of speed or skill, or 'street takeover' (blocking traffic intending to cause disorder or a nuisance) is a class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year) for a first offense and a class D felony (up to 5 years) for a later offense, with a fine of at least $2,000. Possessing a car meant for such an event, acting as starter, timekeeper or judge, betting on it, or recruiting participants (including on social media) is a class B misdemeanor (up to 6 months). The court may impound the driver's own vehicle for up to 30 days, or, if the car is registered to someone else, fine the driver up to $2,000 ($3,000 for a later offense).

Operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or more (0.02% if under 21), is illegal. A first conviction brings a $500 to $1,000 fine and up to 6 months in jail (48 hours mandatory, or a fully suspended sentence with 100 hours of community service) and a one-year suspension of boating privileges; a second within 10 years brings $1,000 to $4,000 and up to 2 years (120 days mandatory) with a three-year boating suspension; a third brings $2,000 to $8,000 and up to 3 years (1 year mandatory) with permanent loss of boating privileges. Under the 2026 Supplement the person's driver's license is also suspended as it would be for drunk driving.

Insurance fraud (presenting, or helping prepare, a written or oral statement with false, incomplete or misleading material information in support of an insurance application or claim, intending to defraud the insurer) is a class D felony (up to 5 years, up to a $5,000 fine), regardless of the amount. Money obtained this way can also be charged as larceny, graded by value.

Filing, or knowingly accepting benefits from, a false claim to a local, state or federal agency is 'defrauding a public community,' a form of larceny: a class C felony (1 to 10 years) when $2,000 or less and a class B felony (1 to 20 years) when more than $2,000. Unemployment fraud (knowingly making a false statement or hiding a fact to get or increase benefits) is a class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year) for $500 or less and a class D felony (up to 5 years) for more than $500. The person must repay the money and can also forfeit 1 to 39 weeks of future unemployment benefits.

Offering or giving a public servant (or someone chosen to become one) any benefit in exchange for an official decision or vote is bribery, a class C felony (1 to 10 years, up to $10,000); a public servant who asks for or accepts such a benefit commits bribe receiving, also a class C felony. Bribing a witness or juror, and a witness or juror taking a bribe, are separate class C felonies. Commercial bribery (giving an employee or agent a benefit, without the employer's consent, to influence their work) and receiving a commercial bribe are class D felonies (up to 5 years).

For the state income tax, willfully failing to pay tax, file a return, keep records or supply information is punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and 1 year in jail, and must be charged within three years. Willfully giving the tax commissioner a return or document known to be fraudulent or false in a material way is a class D felony (up to 5 years). A person who willfully tries to evade the tax, or fails to collect and pay over tax they were required to collect, is also personally liable for a civil penalty equal to the tax evaded.

Connecticut calls rape 'sexual assault.' First-degree sexual assault (forced intercourse, intercourse with a child under 13 by someone more than two years older, or with a person mentally incapacitated) is a class B felony (1 to 20 years) with a sentence of at least 10 years (part may be suspended); it is a class A felony (10 to 25 years) when force is used on a victim under 16 or the victim is under 13. Aggravated first-degree sexual assault (with a deadly weapon, serious injury or two or more helpers) carries at least 10 years, 5 of them mandatory, and more when the victim is under 16. Second-degree sexual assault (for example a physically helpless victim, or abuse of a position of authority) is a class C felony, or class B if the victim is under 16, with 9 months mandatory. Third-degree (forced sexual contact) is a class D or C felony, and fourth-degree (sexual contact without consent) is a class A misdemeanor, or a class D felony if the victim is under 16. Sex with a 13- to 15-year-old is covered on the age-of-consent page.

Sexual contact with a child under 16 in a sexual and indecent manner (or making the child touch the offender's intimate parts) is 'risk of injury to a child,' a class B felony (1 to 20 years), with 5 years that cannot be suspended or reduced if the child is under 13. Sexual intercourse with a child under 13 by someone more than two years older is first-degree sexual assault, a class A felony (10 to 25 years) with at least 5 or 10 years mandatory depending on the child's age. Sexual contact with a child under 13 (actor more than two years older) or a child 13 or 14 (actor more than three years older) is fourth-degree sexual assault, a class D felony (up to 5 years) because the victim is under 16.

Connecticut calls this 'child sexual abuse material.' Knowingly possessing it is graded by amount: first degree (50 or more images, any image showing serious physical injury, or certain videos) is a class B felony with 5 years mandatory; second degree (20 to 49 images) is a class C felony with 2 years mandatory; third degree (fewer than 20) is a class D felony with 1 year mandatory. Importing three or more images to promote them is a class B felony (5 years mandatory), employing a minor in an obscene performance is a class A felony (10 years mandatory), and promoting a minor in an obscene performance is a class B felony. A teen under 18 who keeps a self-made image sent voluntarily by someone under 16, or a teen under 16 who sends their own image to another minor, commits only a class A misdemeanor.

Enticing a minor (using the internet or another interactive computer service to knowingly persuade or coerce someone under 18, or someone the person reasonably believes is under 18, to engage in prostitution or illegal sexual activity) is a class D felony (up to 5 years) for a first offense, a class C felony (1 to 10 years) for a second, and a class B felony (1 to 20 years) after that. If the victim is under 13 it is a class B felony with 5 years that cannot be suspended or reduced for a first offense and 10 years for a later offense.

People convicted of a criminal offense against a minor or a nonviolent sexual offense must register with the Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection within three days of release and stay registered for 10 years; anyone with a prior such conviction, or convicted of first-degree sexual assault of a child under 13, registers for life. People convicted of a sexually violent offense register for life. A court may order 10-year registration for any felony it finds was committed for a sexual purpose, and people with out-of-state convictions must register on moving in. Registrants must report changes of name, address and email or other internet identifiers without undue delay. Failing to register or update is a class D felony (up to 5 years); a late update becomes a crime once the failure lasts five business days.

Connecticut charges this as criminal possession of a firearm, ammunition or an electronic defense weapon. It covers anyone convicted of a felony, people adjudicated delinquent for a serious juvenile offense, people convicted of certain misdemeanors (including family-violence misdemeanors committed on or after October 1, 2023, and some assault, threatening and stalking misdemeanors within the past 20 years), and people under certain protective or restraining orders. It is a class C felony (1 to 10 years) with 2 years and 1 day that cannot be suspended or reduced, and $5,000 of the fine cannot be reduced unless the court states its reasons.

Computer crime covers unauthorized access to a computer system, theft of computer services, interrupting or degrading computer services, misuse of computer data (including altering or deleting it), and destroying computer equipment. It is graded by the damage or value involved: more than $10,000 is a class B felony (1 to 20 years); more than $5,000 a class C felony; more than $1,000, or recklessly creating a risk of serious physical injury, a class D felony; more than $500 a class A misdemeanor; and $500 or less a class B misdemeanor. The court may instead fine up to double the offender's gain. Planting ransomware and demanding payment is computer extortion, a class E felony (up to 3 years).

Connecticut has two rules. Under the criminal eavesdropping law, recording or overhearing a conversation is a crime only when done without the consent of at least one party by someone not present (or, for a phone call, by someone who is not the sender or receiver), so one-party consent avoids the crime; unlawful eavesdropping is a class D felony (up to 5 years). Separately, a civil law requires the consent of all parties before recording a private telephone call, unless a recorded warning is given at the start or an automatic beep tone sounds about every 15 seconds; a person recorded in violation can sue for damages, costs and attorney's fees.

Knowingly giving police a false report of a crime or incident, or false information about a real one, is falsely reporting an incident in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year). Falsely reporting a fire, explosion or other emergency to emergency services, including a hoax meant to cause a large emergency response (swatting), is first-degree, a class D felony (up to 5 years), and the court may order repayment of response costs. The grade goes up when the false report targets someone because of race, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, when it is about someone's serious injury or death, or when it results in serious injury or death (up to a class B felony). Calling 9-1-1 to make a false alarm is a class B misdemeanor.

Connecticut has separate bias crimes called intimidation based on bigotry or bias, covering actual or perceived race, religion, ethnicity, disability, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. Causing physical injury with that motive is first degree, a class C felony (1 to 10 years); physical contact, property damage or a credible threat is second degree, a class D felony; damaging property or threatening or urging others to do so is third degree, a class E felony, each with part of the fine not reducible. A repeat bias offender is sentenced at the next more serious class. Depriving someone of civil rights on account of a protected trait while wearing a mask or hood is a class D felony.

Connecticut still has parole, run by the Board of Pardons and Paroles. A parolee can be returned to custody on the request of the Commissioner of Correction or the board without a written warrant. Revocation hearings are conducted by a board employee, and parole is revoked only if that employee recommends it and at least two members of a board panel approve. A returned parolee can be held for the unexpired part of the sentence, may lose earned time at the board's discretion, or may be paroled again; a person violating special parole can be held for the rest of the special parole period.

Violating a criminal protective order (issued in a family violence or other criminal case) is a class D felony (up to 5 years), and a class C felony (1 to 10 years) if the violation involves restraining the protected person or threatening, harassing, assaulting or sexually assaulting them. Violating a civil restraining order, or a qualifying out-of-state order, by not staying away or by contacting the protected person is a class D felony, and a class C felony if it involves restraint, threats, harassment or assault. Violating a standing criminal protective order is graded the same way.

In Connecticut a child 15 or older charged with a class A felony, a class B felony (with listed exceptions) or certain murder-related offenses is automatically transferred to the adult criminal docket; the prosecutor may later move a class B felony case back to juvenile court. For the listed exceptions and for class C, D, E and unclassified felonies, transfer happens only if the prosecutor asks and the juvenile court, after a hearing, finds the child was at least 15, there is probable cause, and the best interests of the child and the public will not be served by keeping the case in juvenile court. The court must consider prior offenses, seriousness, any intellectual disability or mental illness, and available juvenile services.

Connecticut does not have the death penalty for crimes committed on or after April 25, 2012. The most serious form of murder, called murder with special circumstances (for example killing a police officer, murder for hire, killing two or more people, or killing a child under 16, by someone 18 or older), is a class A felony punished by life imprisonment without the possibility of release, meaning the rest of the person's natural life. The statutes still contain the death-sentence hearing procedure, but only for a 'capital felony committed prior to April 25, 2012.'

People with felony convictions lose the right to vote only while they are confined in a prison or correctional facility (not a community residence). Voting rights come back automatically on release from confinement, so people on parole or probation can vote: the Department of Correction gives the person a document certifying release; a person who returns to the same town is restored, while someone who moved or was never registered is admitted on proof of qualifications. Exception: a person convicted of a felony under the election laws (Title 9) does not regain the right until discharged from parole or probation for that felony. Returning to prison from parole or similar release causes the right to be lost again.

Voting is restored automatically on release from prison (§ 9-46a); a person who has not regained voting privileges may not run for or hold public office (§ 9-46(c)). Jury service: a person is disqualified only if convicted of a felony within the past three years, facing a pending felony case, or in the custody of the Commissioner of Correction. Firearms: the felony ban on possessing firearms has no end date in the statute. Pardons: the Board of Pardons and Paroles grants conditional, provisional or absolute pardons and certificates of rehabilitation; it may accept a pardon application five years after a felony conviction (three years after a misdemeanor), or earlier in extraordinary circumstances. Provisional pardons and certificates of rehabilitation relieve barriers to jobs and licenses.

Connecticut's repeat-offender law is called the persistent offender statute. A persistent dangerous felony offender (convicted of a listed violent crime such as manslaughter, arson, kidnapping, first- or second-degree robbery, first-degree assault, home invasion or first-degree burglary, after a prior prison term of more than one year for a listed crime) faces up to twice the normal maximum or 40 years, whichever is greater; with two prior such convictions and prison terms, the sentence can be up to life. A persistent serious felony offender (any felony after a prior prison term of more than one year) may be sentenced for the next more serious class of felony. A persistent felony offender (a felony other than class D or E after two prior such felonies within ten years) may also be sentenced one class higher, with at least 3 years that cannot be suspended or reduced. There are separate persistent-offender rules for sex offenses, larceny and drug possession.

Connecticut's definition of THC expressly includes delta-7, delta-8, delta-9 and delta-10 THC regardless of source, and 'total THC' counts THCA. Since October 1, 2024, a hemp product with more than 1 milligram of total THC per serving or more than 5 milligrams per container (or flower or trim above 0.3% THC) is a 'high-THC hemp product,' which the law treats as marijuana/cannabis. Products with 0.5 to 5 milligrams of total THC per container ('moderate-THC hemp products') may be sold at retail since January 1, 2025 only by licensed cannabis establishments or registered moderate-THC hemp product vendors, only to people 21 or older after an ID check, with a 'not for under 21' symbol and testing rules. Other sellers of hemp flower must keep it behind the counter or locked and verify buyers are 21 or older.

Psilocybin and psilocyn are listed as Schedule I controlled substances in the Department of Consumer Protection's controlled-substance regulations. Possessing any quantity of a controlled substance other than cannabis is a class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year); for a second offense the court may suspend prosecution of a drug-dependent person and order treatment, and a later offense can bring persistent-offender sentencing. There is no legal psilocybin market; the law did create a psychedelic-assisted therapy pilot program (run by a medical school under an FDA-approved research protocol, due by January 1, 2023) for veterans, retired first responders and direct care health care workers.

Connecticut is moving kratom into the controlled-substance schedules. Public Act 25-101 (effective June 24, 2025) requires the Commissioner of Consumer Protection to amend the drug-schedule regulations to designate Mitragyna speciosa (kratom), including its leaves, stem and extracts, and 7-hydroxymitragynine as controlled substances. A 2026 regulation amendment filed by the department would place both in Schedule I; whether it has taken effect is not confirmed. Once designated, possessing them would fall under the general controlled-substance possession offense (class A misdemeanor).

CBD from hemp is legal in Connecticut when the product is not a 'high-THC hemp product': CBD in manufacturer hemp products is not a controlled substance or a legend drug, and hemp-derived CBD is excluded from the definition of marijuana. Ingestible hemp products (food, drinks, oils) may be sold only if made from hemp grown under an approved USDA, state or tribal hemp plan and labeled with a QR code or barcode linked to an independent lab's certificate of analysis showing cannabinoid content, any best-by date, and warnings (pregnancy/breastfeeding, keep away from children, not FDA-evaluated). Health or medical claims in ads or labels are banned, and products may not contain synthetic cannabinoids or be packaged to look like cannabis or other branded products. Products over the THC limits are treated as cannabis (see the hemp THC rules).

The minimum age to buy cigarettes, tobacco products, e-cigarettes and vapor products in Connecticut is 21. A seller who sells, gives or delivers tobacco to someone under 21 is fined up to $300 for a first offense, $750 for a second within 24 months and $1,000 for later offenses within 24 months; for e-cigarettes and vapor products the fine is up to $1,000 per offense (since July 1, 2025). A person under 21 who lies about their age to buy these products is fined up to $50 for a first offense and $50 to $100 for later offenses.

Connecticut makes it a crime to abuse an elderly person (60 or older), a blind or disabled person or a person with intellectual disability, meaning repeated acts or omissions causing injury: first degree (intentional, serious injury) is a class C felony (1 to 10 years); second degree is a class D felony (up to 5 years); third degree is a class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year). Assaulting someone 60 or older is charged as enhanced assault with time that cannot be suspended: first degree (class B felony, 5 years), second degree (class D felony, 2 years; 3 years with a firearm) and third degree (class A misdemeanor, 1 year). Financial exploitation: taking property by embezzlement, false pretenses or false promise from a victim 60 or older, a conserved person, or a blind or disabled person is second-degree larceny, a class C felony, regardless of the amount.

Secretly photographing or recording someone without consent while they are not in plain view and expect privacy (with malice or for sexual gratification), recording under or around a person's clothing for sexual purposes (even in public), or trespassing to secretly watch someone inside a home for sexual purposes is voyeurism. It is a class D felony (up to 5 years) for a first offense, and a class C felony (1 to 10 years) for a repeat offense, when the person has certain prior sex-offense convictions, or when the intended subject is under 16. Sharing images knowing they were made by voyeurism is disseminating voyeuristic material, a class D felony. Voyeurism under subdivisions (2) to (4) (sexual purpose) is a 'nonviolent sexual offense' requiring sex offender registration, generally for ten years.

Assaulting a police officer (or a firefighter, EMS worker, emergency room doctor or nurse, health care employee, correction employee, probation officer, public transit employee, security officer or other listed worker) on duty, with intent to stop them from performing their duties, is a class C felony (1 to 10 years, up to $10,000). It covers causing physical injury or throwing objects, mace-like agents, paint or bodily fluids at the worker. By comparison, ordinary simple assault (assault in the third degree) is a class A misdemeanor (up to 1 year). An inmate's sentence for assaulting a Department of Correction employee must run consecutively to the sentence being served.