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S 2281Police & Prisons

Criminal Offenses - Sexual Offender Registration and Community Notification

This bill changes the residency restriction for all registered sex offenders to 300 feet from a school, measured in a straight line.

Introduced35 Yea1 Nay2 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 23, 2026Committee Senate Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the state's sex offender registration laws regarding residency restrictions near schools. Currently, Level 3 (high risk) offenders are prohibited from living within 1,000 feet of a school, while others have a 300-foot restriction. This bill removes the specific 1,000-foot provision for Level 3 offenders, applying the uniform 300-foot restriction to all registered offenders regardless of risk level. Additionally, it clarifies that the distance must be measured in a straight line from the offender's property line to the school's property line, ignoring any intervening structures. It also updates the text to use gender-neutral language.

For younger readers

There are laws that say people who have committed certain crimes are not allowed to live too close to schools. Right now, some of these people have to live very far away (1,000 feet), while others have to stay a shorter distance away (300 feet). This new rule changes it so that everyone on this list must stay at least 300 feet away from schools. It also explains exactly how to measure that distance using a straight line from their house to the school, to make sure the rules are clear for everyone.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Registered sex offendersSchool administratorsLaw enforcement agenciesProperty owners near schoolsFamilies with school-aged children
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Increases housing availability for Level 3 sex offenders by reducing the exclusionary zone from 1,000 feet to 300 feet, potentially reducing homelessness and instability among this population.
  • Standardizes residency restrictions across all offender levels, removing complex tiered systems that can create confusion and barriers to successful reintegration into the community.
  • Clarifies measurement techniques to a "straight line" standard, preventing arbitrary enforcement or confusion regarding how buffer zones are calculated.
  • Maintains the use of residency restrictions, which many studies suggest are ineffective at preventing recidivism and primarily serve to destabilize offenders' lives.
  • Continues to rely on severe felony penalties (up to 5 years in prison) for housing violations, rather than focusing on rehabilitation or social support systems.
  • The strict "straight line" measurement from property line to property line may still inadvertently disqualify viable housing options based on technicalities rather than actual safety risks.
For Conservatives
  • Tightens the definitions for measuring distance to a "straight line" standard, closing potential loopholes regarding how distance is calculated or walked.
  • Ensures that the safety buffer is measured from the property line (not just the building), effectively protecting the entire grounds of the school.
  • Maintains felony-level penalties and significant fines for registered offenders who violate these residency restrictions.
  • Drastically reduces the safety buffer zone for high-risk Level 3 sex offenders from 1,000 feet down to 300 feet, potentially endangering children at nearby schools.
  • Eliminates the distinction between the most dangerous offenders (Level 3) and lower-level offenders, treating them equally regarding where they can live.
  • Removes traditional gendered language ("his or her") and replaces it with gender-neutral terms ("the person's"), catering to progressive linguistic preferences.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 10 additions · 15 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 11-37.1-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-37.1 entitled "Sexual Offender Registration and Community Notification" is hereby amended to read as follows: 11-37.1-10. Penalties.

(a) Any person who is required to register or verify his or her the person's address or give notice of a change of address or residence who knowingly fails to do so shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, be imprisoned not more than ten (10) years, or fined not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or both.

(b) Any person who is required to register or verify his or her the person's address or give notice of a change of address or residence who knowingly fails to do so shall be in violation of the terms of his or her the person's release, regardless of whether or not the term was a special condition of his or her the person's release on probation, parole, home confinement or other form of supervised release.

(c) Except in the case of a level-three (3) sex offender, any Any person who is required to register or verify his or her the person's address, who knowingly resides within three hundred feet (300′) of any school as defined in § 11-37.1-2, which distance shall be measured from the nearest boundary line of the real property supporting the residence of the person to the nearest boundary line of the real property that supports or upon which there exists a school in a straight line, without regard for intervening structures or objects, from the nearest portion of the property on which the person subject to this section resides, to the nearest property line of the premises of any school shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, may be imprisoned not more than five (5) years, or fined not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both.

(d) Any level-three (3) sex offender who knowingly resides within one thousand feet (1,000′) of any school as defined in § 11-37.1-2, which distance shall be measured from the nearest boundary line of the real property supporting the residence of the person to the nearest boundary line of the real property that supports or upon which there exists a school shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, may be imprisoned for not more than five (5) years, or fined not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.