§ 2222-A Notice of legacy or distributive share payable to incarcerated individual or prisoner

If someone set to inherit money or property from an estate is currently in prison, either in a state correctional facility or a local jail, the court has to follow a special process before any money changes hands. The court must send written notice to the Office of Victim Services letting them know about the inheritance.

At the same time, the court will order that no payment can go to the incarcerated person for 30 days after this order is issued. This waiting period gives the Office of Victim Services a chance to review the situation. This process exists because crime victims may have legal claims against money owed to someone who harmed them, and this waiting period helps make sure those claims can be addressed before the inheritance money is paid out.