Increases the minimum wage amount for any person committed to the adult correctional institution from $3.00 to $5.00 a day for every day the person shall labor.

Rhode Island Bill Summary: Increasing Pay for Incarcerated Workers

This bill would raise the minimum daily wage paid to people incarcerated at Rhode Island's Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) who perform work while serving their sentences. Currently, incarcerated workers earn a minimum of $3.00 per day for their labor. This bill would increase that minimum to $5.00 per day — a roughly 67% increase in the daily floor wage.

The bill directly affects people who are incarcerated at the ACI and are assigned to work programs. In prison settings, incarcerated individuals are often required or encouraged to work in jobs such as food service, laundry, maintenance, or manufacturing. The small wages they earn can be used to purchase personal items, cover fees, or save money for when they are released. Raising the daily minimum would mean more money available to these individuals for those purposes.

It is worth noting that even at the proposed $5.00 per day rate, this pay remains far below Rhode Island's standard minimum wage for workers outside of prison. The bill has been introduced and referred to the Senate Labor and Gaming Committee, where legislators will review and decide whether to advance it further. No final action has been taken yet.