AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT-- CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jose Batista and 9 co-sponsors

HB 5350: correctional facilities must provide free voice calls and in-person visits, prohibiting revenue from inmate communication services and ending caller/inmate charges.

04/03/2025 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

Purpose

HB 5350 removes statutory authority that permitted charging inmates and their callers for telephone calls and replaces it with a requirement that correctional and detention facilities provide free communication services (voice and optionally video/electronic messaging) and in‑person contact visits. The bill is intended to expand access to communication for people in custody and prohibit correctional agencies from receiving revenue from those services.

Key provisions and changes

Repeals R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-56-38.1, which:

Allowed inmates to use debit or collect call systems, with debit funds taken from inmate accounts or prepaid telephone accounts;
Required prison call rates not to exceed comparable non‑prison rates; and
Prohibited contracts that paid commissions to the state or surcharges in addition to provider charges.

Adds new § 42-56-38.3 with these principal requirements:

Facilities (state prisons, local jails, youth residential placements/detention centers, and any agency holding persons pending initial court appearance) must provide voice communication service; they may also provide video and electronic messaging services.
All provided communication services must be free of charge to both the person initiating and the person receiving the communication; limits only allowed by program participation and routine facility procedures.
Minimum operable device standard: each housing unit must have either (a) a maximum 10:1 ratio of persons in custody to operable voice communication devices, or (b) at least two voice communication devices — whichever is greater.
Correctional agencies are prohibited from receiving revenue from providing any communication services.
Facilities must provide in‑person contact visits.

Effective date: upon passage.

Who is affected

People in custody in state prisons, local jails, juvenile detention/residential placements, and persons held pending initial court appearance.

Family members, friends, and other call recipients (who would no longer be charged).

Department of Corrections and other agencies operating detention facilities (operational and budget implications).

Telephone/video/messaging service vendors and any existing contracts with facilities.

Potential impacts and considerations

Increased access to free communication and in‑person visits for incarcerated individuals and their families.

Loss of revenue streams to agencies and/or vendors previously generated by telephone commissions or surcharge arrangements; may require renegotiation of contracts or state funding to support services and device maintenance.

Operational needs: purchasing/maintaining devices, facility infrastructure, and staffing to support visits and communications.

Legal/contractual considerations for existing service agreements.

Legislative timeline (selected)

Introduced and referred to House Judiciary: 02/07/2025

Filed: 03/14/2025

Hearing scheduled: 03/28/2025 (for 04/03/2025)

Committee action: 04/03/2025 — recommended measure be held for further study

Read first time / referred to Delivery of Government Efficiency: 04/07/2025

This summary is based on the bill text of H 5350 (LC001059) as introduced in the 2025 session.

Bill