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| Sen Sue Sosnowski & Rep. Teresa Tanzi with Delia |
From the State House Legislative News Bureau
STATE HOUSE – The House of Representatives today approved legislation
aimed at preventing those serving time for particularly serious crimes from
earning time off their sentences for good behavior.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. V. Susan
Sosnowski and Rep. Teresa Tanzi
on behalf of Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin, was introduced in response to
the potential release last year of Michael Woodmansee, convicted of killing
5-year-old Jason Foreman in 1975 in South Kingstown .
Woodmansee, who late agreed to remain in state custody through voluntary
institutional commitment, was allowed to earn 12 years off the 40 he was
supposed to serve through “good time” and participation in a prison job.
The legislation (2012-H
7112A, 2012-S
2179A) would ban those convicted of murder, attempted murder, first-degree
sexual assault, first- and second-degree child molestation sexual assault and
kidnapping of a minor from earning time off their sentences solely for behaving
in prison.
Under the current system, merely
existing in prison for a month without incident earns a prisoner as much as 10
days off his or her sentence. The legislation would affect those imprisoned for
crimes committed after its effective date, July 1.
The bill affects only time off for good behavior, not time off given to
prisoners as an incentive for participation in rehabilitative programs or
educational programs that teach life or career skills.
The sponsors said it is
necessary to draw a distinction between the two ways of earning time off,
because participation in rehabilitative or training programs does have a public
benefit by reducing the likelihood that the prisoner will return to a life of
crime when released.
“Sooner or later, anyone serving less than a life sentence is going to be
released. It’s better for everyone if those prisoners willingly participate in
programs that lead to their rehabilitation and prepare them for their return to
society. We want to make sure incentives for participation in programs remain.
What we don’t want is to give people convicted of heinous crimes time off just
for existing in prison. That’s a miscarriage of justice,” said Representative
Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, South Kingstown ,
Narragansett).
Said Senator Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown, New Shoreham),
“Murderers, rapists and kidnappers should not be able to earn good time for
simply not getting into any more trouble in prison. They have committed serious
crimes, and it’s dishonest to tell their victims and their families that they
will be serving a lengthy term, only to let them out much earlier, sometimes by
many years, for no other reason than that they didn’t break any more rules.
Sentences for serious crimes should mean something.”
The legislation was
developed with the assistance of Criminal Justice Oversight Commission, which
met over the course of the last year to discuss ways to balance the system of
awarding time off to prisoners.
The legislation will now be forwarded to the
Senate for final approval. The Senate version of the bill has already been
approved by the Senate once, but must return because it was amended by the
House.