RELATING TO CRIMINALS -- CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS -- COMMISSION ON, PARDONS
Summary
H8074 would create a new nine-member Commission on Pardons within Title 13 of the Rhode Island General Laws to manage the pardon application process and advise the governor on pardon requests under Article IX, Section 13 of the state constitution. The commission would establish application procedures, required documents, response timelines, and eligibility criteria for applicants seeking a pardon.
The bill limits consideration to people who have completed their sentence and are not eligible for expungement, people who were eligible for expungement but were denied, and people on probation who may qualify for early termination under Superior Court Rule 35(c). After reviewing applications, the commission would forward recommended names to the governor, who would retain authority to submit any recommended or other names to the Senate for advice and consent.
Impact
The bill would add a new chapter to Title 13 governing criminal justice and correctional institutions, creating a formal administrative structure for pardon petitions in Rhode Island. It would not itself grant pardons, but it would change the process by which pardon applicants are screened and recommended, and it would interact with existing expungement law, probation rules, and the governor’s constitutional pardon power.
Sentiment
The available materials suggest a generally supportive or reform-oriented posture toward the bill, with no recorded votes or committee testimony indicating opposition. The bill’s sponsors come from a group of representatives often associated with criminal justice reform, and the measure appears designed to create a more structured and accessible pardon process for people with criminal records.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are likely to be the scope of the commission’s gatekeeping authority and the composition of the panel. The bill gives the commission significant discretion to set eligibility criteria and decide which applicants are recommended, which could raise concerns about transparency or consistency. Its membership also includes representatives from advocacy and reentry organizations, which may prompt debate over balance, independence, and whether the commission should be more heavily weighted toward judicial or executive officials.
Establishes a commission to promulgate rules, regulations and make recommendations to the governor as to petitions for pardons under Article IX, Section 13 of the Constitution of Rhode Island.
Limits the use of certain criminal records and credit history reports in denying housing to prospective applicants, and provides for fines for failure to comply. This act further requires notices of denials to be sent to the prospective tenants.
Requires that Medicaid enrollment be maintained or provided to all inmates in the first 30 days of incarceration at the adult correctional institutions within the department of corrections and the last 30 days of incarceration when possible.
Increases the minimum wage amount for any person committed to the adult correctional institution from three dollars to five dollars a day for every day the person shall labor.
Updates the statutory terminology by replacing the phrase "institutions of higher learning" with that of "educational institutions" and redefines child daycare centers as educational institutions.
Updates the statutory terminology by replacing the phrase "institutions of higher learning" with that of "educational institutions", and would redefine child daycare centers as educational institutions.
Makes it easier to vote for people eligible to vote who are incarcerated at the Rhode Island adult correctional institute and creates the position of "voting coordinator," within the department of corrections.
Adds department of corrections' correctional officers to the list of public safety employees that are entitled to their full salary if they are injured and become disabled as a result of performance of their job duties.
Establishes a commission to promulgate rules, regulations and make recommendations to the governor as to petitions for pardons under Article IX, Section 13 of the Constitution of Rhode Island.