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S 2398Non-Violent Crime Penalties

Criminal Offenses - Obstructing Justice

This bill creates felony penalties for filing false police reports regarding serious crimes, with prison time based on the accusation's severity.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 30, 2026Committee Senate Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation increases the penalties for individuals who knowingly make false reports of crimes to law enforcement. Currently, making a false report is a misdemeanor. Under this bill, if a person falsely accuses someone of a crime that carries a prison sentence of 5 to 20 years, the accuser faces a felony charge with 1 to 5 years in prison. If the false accusation involves a crime punishable by 20 years or more, the accuser faces a felony with a sentence of 5 to 20 years. Restitution to the falsely accused person remains a requirement.

For younger readers

Right now, if someone lies to a police officer and says a crime happened when it didn't, they can get in trouble, but the punishment isn't very long. This new rule says that if someone tells a really big lie about a very serious crime, they will get in much bigger trouble. The more serious the lie is, the longer the person who told the lie has to go to prison. It is meant to stop people from making up stories that could get innocent people in big trouble for things they didn't do.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Police OfficersVictims of False AccusationsCriminal DefendantsJudicial System PersonnelVictims of Crime (potential chilling effect)
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Protects innocent individuals, particularly those from marginalized communities who are disproportionately targeted by the legal system, from the devastating consequences and trauma of serious false accusations.
  • Discourages the weaponization of law enforcement resources against innocent people by imposing severe consequences for malicious lies regarding serious crimes.
  • Ensures that the punishment for filing a false report scales with the severity of the harm intended, promoting a sense of proportionality and fairness in the justice system.
  • Could discourage victims of sexual assault or domestic violence from coming forward due to fear that police might disbelieve them and charge them with a felony for a "false report."
  • Contributes to mass incarceration by creating new felony offenses and mandatory minimums, rather than focusing on restorative justice or community resolution.
  • Gives law enforcement excessive leverage to intimidate witnesses or complainants by threatening felony charges if they attempt to recant or clarify a statement.
For Conservatives
  • Upholds the rule of law by imposing strict penalties on those who attempt to manipulate the justice system and waste valuable police resources on fabricated crimes.
  • Provides a strong deterrent against malicious individuals who seek to weaponize the government against political or personal enemies through false accusations.
  • Ensures that the punishment fits the crime by matching the penalty for the liar to the severity of the sentence the falsely accused individual would have faced.
  • Grants the state excessive power to determine what constitutes a "false statement," potentially leading to the prosecution of individuals who made honest mistakes or misremembered details.
  • Could be weaponized by corrupt government officials to silence whistleblowers or political dissidents by claiming their reports of misconduct are "false statements" of crimes.
  • Increases government spending and taxpayer burden by expanding the prison population through new felony classifications and longer sentences.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 12 additions

SECTION 1. Section 11-32-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-32 entitled "Obstructing Justice" is hereby amended to read as follows: 11-32-2. False report of crime.

(a) Every person who shall knowingly make or cause to be made a false statement of a crime, either oral or written, with intent that it be relied upon by a police officer of any city or town or by any member of the state police, shall be deemed guilty of obstructing an officer and shall be imprisoned not exceeding one year and/or be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500), and shall in addition to this imprisonment and/or fine be ordered to make restitution to the person falsely accused of a crime for any damage which the person sustained as a result of the false complaint.

(b) Every person who shall knowingly make or cause to be made a false statement of a crime that carries a sentence of imprisonment of not less than five (5) years nor more than twenty

(20) years, either oral or written, with intent that it be relied upon by a police officer of any city or town or by any member of the state police, shall be deemed guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be imprisoned not less than one year nor more than five (5) years.

(c) Every person who shall knowingly make or cause to be made a false statement of a crime that carries a sentence of imprisonment of not less than twenty (20) years, either oral or written, with intent that it be relied upon by a police officer of any city or town or by any member of the state police, shall be deemed guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be imprisoned not less than five (5) years nor more than twenty (20) years.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.