Legislation

Though intended to address the issue of police misconduct, we opposed a piece of legislation introduced on behalf of the Attorney General which could have given the state more power to investigate those protesting or organizing against police abuse.

The ACLU has long opposed the introduction of SROs to school campuses in RI, as their presence can inappropriately redefine normal adolescent behaviors into issues of criminal justice. Two pieces of legislation would address the presence of SRO’s on campuses – one positively, and one negatively.

Prompted by the re-entrance into an agreement with ICE by the Wyatt Detention Center, legislation was introduced which would have barred private prisons from operating in the state of Rhode Island entirely and limited the ability for carceral facilities in Rhode Island to cooperate with ICE.

This important legislation would have expanded the access to a driver’s license to undocumented individuals, ensuring that all residents could make use of safe and reliable transportation to go to work, school, the doctor, or any other necessary locations.

This legislation would have placed even more stringent criminal record check requirements on Medicaid- funded personal care attendants than are currently required.

We supported a repeal of the RI Voter ID law, noting that it presents an unnecessary barrier to eligible voters who may not have ready access to a photo ID.

We supported legislation which would have provided state-level protection for (not always followed) Department of Homeland Security guidance aimed at prohibiting immigration enforcement in certain “sensitive locations” such as hospitals, religious institutions, and schools.

This comprehensive legislation, supported by the ACLU and more than two dozen other advocacy groups, was introduced to build upon the successfully implemented changes of the 2020 election cycle.

To our knowledge, Rhode Island remains the only state to still have a statute on the books which declares any person serving a life sentence in prison “civilly dead.”