The Rhode Island Senate voted Tuesday to prohibit murderers and child molesters from cutting time off their sentences through good behavior.
The legislation was prompted by the early release of Michael Woodmansee, convicted of second-degree murder for killing 5-year-old Jason Foreman of South Kingstown in 1975 and keeping his shellacked bones in his bedroom.
Woodmansee was released last year after serving 28 years of his 40-year sentence. Woodmansee, 53, agreed to remain in custody in a mental facility.
The legislation, written by Attorney General Peter Kilmartin, would make those convicted of murder, molestation and certain other violent crimes ineligible for earning so-called "good-time" credits going forward.
The House is considering its own version of the legislation. Attempts to pass similar measures failed last year after questions were raised about the cost and legality of withholding good-time credits from inmates.
The version passed by the Senate was crafted to address those concerns. Supporters of the bill said it strikes a balance between giving low-level offenders an incentive to rehabilitate while ensuring the most heinous criminals serve their full sentences.
The proposed changes would not adjust good-time credits already earned by offenders.
"While this legislation will do nothing to erase the tragedy of Jason Foreman's vicious murder, I hope its passage will bring some sense of peace," said the bill's sponsor, Sen. Susan Sosnowski, D-South Kingstown.
The bill passed the Senate 32-2.
If enacted, the measure would impact some 500 inmates who would no longer be eligible for additional good-time credits, according to A.T. Wall, director of the state's Department of Corrections. During a hearing on the bill last month, Wall told lawmakers the state can expect higher prison bills if those prisoners serve their entire sentences.
The American Civil Liberties Union testified that the legislation might be unconstitutional as it seeks to modify prison sentences of people already serving time.
House Rep. Teresa Tanzi, D-South Kingstown, said the House may consider tweaking the bill to avoid potential legal problems. Tanzi said the bill might be less likely to face legal challenges from inmates if it only applies to crimes committed in the future.
But Tanzi said she is confident any problems with the bill can be worked out. She said the outrage prompted by Woodmansee's early release can't be ignored.
"There seems to be a great willingness to do this," she said. "I don't think anyone felt justice was served when this man was released."
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