Makes it unlawful for a person in the custody of the department of corrections to use any force or weapon to resist a lawful request or directive.

Plain-English Summary

This Rhode Island bill would make it a crime for someone who is in the custody of the Department of Corrections — meaning a person who is incarcerated in a state prison or correctional facility — to use physical force or a weapon to resist a lawful order or request from a corrections officer or other authorized staff. In other words, if a corrections officer gives an inmate a legitimate, lawful directive and the inmate physically fights back or uses a weapon to resist, that resistance would be considered a separate criminal offense under this bill.

The bill primarily affects people who are currently serving time in Rhode Island's state correctional facilities. Corrections officers and prison staff would also be affected, as the law would give them additional legal backing when their lawful directives are not followed. It's worth noting that the bill specifies the request or directive must be lawful, meaning this would not apply to situations where an inmate resists an order that is illegal or unauthorized.

Currently, the bill has been introduced in the Senate and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has recommended it be held for further study — meaning lawmakers want more time to review and discuss it before moving forward. No final vote has been taken yet.