Criminal Justice
As First Vice Chair on the House Judiciary committee, Jason has brought a unique perspective to matters of justice in crime and punishment. As a lawmaker, defense attorney and former state prosecutor, Jason’s thorough understanding of the criminal justice system is grounded in reality, compassion, and community protection. He has sat with victims and their families, with the unjustly accused, the guilty, and the formerly incarcerated. Jason understands that keeping Rhode Islanders safe requires ensuring that our criminal justice system works efficiently and fairly for all Rhode Islanders regardless of race or socio-economc status.
As Attorney General, Jason will:
Improve re-entry programs for Rhode Islanders returning from incarceration in order to reduce recidivism and keep our communities safe while lessening the burden on the state.
Ensure the criminal justice division within the Office of Attorney General is run professionally and in keeping with all its constitutional obligations to provide defendants with fair criminal process and trial
Jason’s record on criminal justice reform:
Child abuse: Co-sponsored and passed legislation to require DCYF to follow up on all allegations of child sexual abuse. (2021)
Crime victims: Co-sponsored and passed legislation to expand protections for victims provided by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act. (2017)
Criminal Diversion: Co-sponsored and passed legislation to allow the creation of a Superior Court diversion program for persons with mental health issues and substance abuse issues charged with certain offenses.
Dissemination of Indecent Images: Sponsored and passed legislation that criminalizes the unauthorized dissemination of so-called “deepfake” sexually explicit images of another person that are created by digital devices or created without the consent of the person depicted.
DNA: Co-sponsored and passed legislation requiring the State Crime Laboratory to conduct an audit of DNA samples in the DNA databank to ascertain the rate of compliance with DNA recording requirements. (2023)
Domestic violence:
Batterers’ Intervention Program: Co-sponsored and passed legislation to create an evidence-based Batterers’ Intervention Program designed to help reduce rates of domestic violence in Rhode Island (2017).
Child Sexual Exploitation: Co-sponsored and passed legislation to strengthen RI’s domestic violence law by including crimes against children forced to engage in commercial sex acts. (2017).
DV Prosecution Training for LEOs: Sponsored and passed legislation providing that law enforcement officers who appear before the court for prosecution of a violation of a protective order shall self-certify that the officer has successfully completed a specialized domestic violence prosecution training course. (2025)
DUI: Sponsored and passed legislation to expand the DUI law to more effectively cover drug users. (2021)
Expungement:
Reformed the law to make it easier for those who have paid their debt and completed their sentences to clear their record and get back on their feet as participating members of society. (2021).
Co-sponsored and passed legislation that re-defines misdemeanors for expungement purposes and make prior felonies, subsequently reclassified as misdemeanors, eligible for expungement pursuant to sections 12-1.3-2 and 12-1.3-3. (2024)
Eliminated Court Costs for the Indigent: These costs often resulted in a cycle of arrest and release for money issues alone costing the state an enormous amount of money for short-term incarcerations on bills that people just did not have the ability to pay. By eliminating these costs, Jason eliminated these needless arrests which were not contributing to public safety. (2022)
Human Trafficking: Co-sponsored and passed legislation reforming RI’s human trafficking law to make it more compatible with the other states which leads to more effective enforcement. (2017)
Justice Reinvestment: Co-sponsored and passed a number of measures designed to implement a criminal justice reinvestment program in Rhode Island. (2017)
Juvenile Justice: Sponsored and passed legislation to keep juvenile offenders out of the adult criminal databases while retaining access to the information for law enforcement. (2024)
Reentry:
Income Discrimination: Co-sponsored and passed legislation outlawing income discrimination for those seeking housing (2021).
Treatment for Substance Use & Mental Health: Sponsored and passed legislation allowing the ACI to more effectively coordinate with treatment facilities for substance abuse and mental health (2022).
Incarcerated Persons’ Financial Accounts: Co-sponsored and passed legislation to increase the maximum amount maintained in a prisoner's account from one thousand dollars ($1,000) to two thousand dollars ($2,000), with said funds to be turned over to the prisoner at the time of their release from incarceration (2023).
Sex offenders: Sponsored and passed legislation to allow for the Sex Offender Board of Review to use improved procedures to evaluate and level sex offenders. (2024)
Traffic Safety: Sponsored and passed legislation modernizing certain aspects of the Motor Vehicle Insurance Law.