Makes assault with intent to commit murder punishable by no less than ten years and not more than forty years and the person would not be afforded the benefit of suspension or deferment of sentence or probation.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would change the punishment for a crime called "assault with intent to commit murder" in Rhode Island. Under the proposed law, anyone convicted of this offense would face a mandatory prison sentence of at least 10 years and up to 40 years. Currently, judges have more flexibility in how they handle sentencing for this type of crime.

A key feature of this bill is that it would remove certain options that judges normally have when sentencing someone. Specifically, a judge would not be allowed to suspend the sentence (meaning delay or waive prison time), defer the sentence (postpone punishment to see how someone behaves), or place the person on probation instead of sending them to prison. In other words, if convicted, a person would be required to serve actual prison time — there would be no way around it.

This bill directly affects people who are charged with and convicted of assault with intent to commit murder in Rhode Island, as well as the judges who handle these cases. It limits judicial discretion and ensures that anyone found guilty of this serious violent offense will serve a significant prison term. Prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the courts would all need to operate under these stricter sentencing rules.

The bill has been introduced in the Rhode Island House of Representatives and referred to the House Judiciary Committee, which is the next step before it could move forward for a full vote. It has not yet become law.