Repeals provisions that assess costs for women in the community corrections program for women offenders.
Summary
H5357 amends Rhode Island law governing the Department of Corrections’ community correctional program for women offenders. The bill removes the statutory provisions that require additional monetary assessments on defendants convicted of prostitution-related offenses under chapter 11-34.1, including fixed dollar penalties for felony and misdemeanor convictions and the related rule that those costs be deposited into general revenues. The underlying community correctional program itself remains in place, including eligibility, individualized rehabilitation plans, judicial approval, and supervision by the Department of Corrections.
The bill does not create a new program or expand eligibility; instead, it narrows the financial consequences attached to certain prostitution-related convictions for women in the community corrections context. By repealing the cost-assessment language, the measure eliminates a mandatory surcharge that could apply whether or not a defendant is sentenced to prison. The act takes effect upon passage.
Impact
The bill directly amends § 42-56-20.3 of the Rhode Island General Laws by striking the subsection that imposed additional penalties and costs on defendants charged under the prostitution statutes. As a result, courts would no longer be required to assess the specified $500 felony/$350 misdemeanor surcharge, and the state would no longer receive those amounts as general revenues from this provision. The rest of the community correctional program for women offenders remains unchanged, so the Department of Corrections and sentencing courts retain their existing roles in approving and supervising community confinement plans.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests broad bipartisan support and little opposition. The House passed the bill 67-0, and the Senate passed it 35-1, indicating that most legislators viewed the measure favorably. With no committee transcript available, the record does not show extended debate, but the near-unanimous votes suggest the bill was generally seen as a targeted correction to a fee or penalty provision rather than a controversial policy change.
Contention
The main point of contention, to the extent one exists, is the repeal of mandatory financial penalties tied to prostitution-related offenses. Supporters likely viewed the surcharge as an unnecessary burden on women in the community correctional program and as inconsistent with rehabilitation-focused corrections policy. Any opposition would likely have centered on the loss of a revenue source or concern about reducing penalties for prostitution-related conduct, but the voting record shows that such concerns were minimal.