Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 13-8-13 (2026)

Life prisoners and prisoners with lengthy sentences

✓ current as of July 2026

Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section RI-LEGwebserver.rilegislature.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

(a) In the case of a prisoner sentenced to imprisonment for life, a parole permit may be issued at any time after the prisoner has served not less than ten (10) years’ imprisonment; provided that:

(1) In the case of a prisoner serving a sentence or sentences of a length making him or her ineligible for a permit in less than ten (10) years, pursuant to §§ 13-8-9 and 13-8-10, the permit may be issued at any time after the prisoner has served not less than ten (10) years’ imprisonment;

(2) In the case of a prisoner sentenced to imprisonment for life for a first- or second-degree murder committed after July 10, 1989, the permit may be issued only after the prisoner has served not less than fifteen (15) years’ imprisonment;

(3) In the case of a prisoner sentenced to imprisonment for life for a first- or second-degree murder committed after June 30, 1995, the permit may be issued only after the prisoner has served not less than twenty (20) years’ imprisonment;

(4) In the case of a prisoner sentenced to imprisonment for life for a first- or second-degree murder committed after July 1, 2015, the permit may be issued only after the prisoner has served not less than twenty-five (25) years’ imprisonment; and

(5) In the case of a prisoner sentenced to imprisonment for life for a crime, other than first- or second-degree murder, committed after July 1, 2015, the permit may be issued only after the prisoner has served not less than twenty (20) years’ imprisonment.

(b) The permit shall be issued only by a unanimous vote of all the attending members of the board; provided that not less than four (4) members are present, and whenever, after the issue of the permit, the prisoner shall be pardoned, then the control of the board over the prisoner shall cease and terminate.

(c)(1) In the case of a prisoner sentenced to imprisonment for life who is convicted of escape or attempted escape from the lawful custody of the warden of the adult correctional institutions, the permit may be issued only after the prisoner has served not less than twenty-five (25) years’ imprisonment; provided, however, that as to a prisoner who has been sentenced to imprisonment for life for a conviction of first- or second-degree murder, committed after July 1, 2015, and who is convicted thereafter of escape or attempted escape from the lawful custody of the warden of the adult correctional institutions, the permit may be issued only after the prisoner has served not less than thirty-five (35) years’ imprisonment; and

(2) For each subsequent conviction of escape or attempted escape, an additional five (5) years shall be added to the time required to be served.

(d) In the case of a prisoner sentenced consecutively to more than one life term for crimes occurring after May 7, 1981, the permit may be issued only after the prisoner has served not less than ten (10) years consecutively on each life sentence; provided, in the case of a prisoner sentenced consecutively to more than one life term for crimes occurring after June 30, 1995, the permit may be issued only after the prisoner has served not less than fifteen (15) years consecutively on each life sentence. In the case of a prisoner sentenced consecutively to more than one life term for crimes occurring after July 1, 2015, the permit may be issued only after the prisoner has served not less than twenty (20) years consecutively on each life sentence. In the case of a prisoner sentenced consecutively to more than one life term for crimes, including first- or second-degree murder, occurring after July 1, 2015, the permit may be issued only after the prisoner has served not less than twenty-five (25) years consecutively on each life sentence.

(e) Any person sentenced for any offense committed prior to his or her twenty-second birthday, other than a person serving life without parole, shall be eligible for parole review and a parole permit may be issued after the person has served no fewer than twenty (20) years’ imprisonment unless the person is entitled to earlier parole eligibility pursuant to any other provisions of law. This subsection shall be given prospective and retroactive effect for all offenses occurring on or after January 1, 1991.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 20 cases (5 in the last 5 years), 1969–2025 · leading case: Lerner v. Gill, 463 A.2d 1352 (R.I. 1983).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

Lerner v. Gill, 463 A.2d 1352 (R.I. 1983). · cites it 40× “If either calculation results in a term of years greater than ten, § 13-8-13 controls, and the prisoner becomes eligible after serving ten years.”

In Re Advisory Opinion to the Governor, 421 A.2d 535 (R.I. 1980). · cites it 14× “Your Excellency has informed us that on a prior occasion the Department of Corrections has been advised that because of the language of § 13-8-13 and its reference to consecutive sentences, a prisoner serving consecutive life sentences would be eligible for parole once he had…”

Brown v. State, 32 A.3d 901 (R.I. 2011). · cites it 5× “Although we ultimately determined that § 13-8-13 governed De-Ciantis’s case as opposed to § 13-8-10, we nonetheless concluded that DeCiantis’s reading of § 13-8-10(a) “misconstrue[d] the clear intent of the General Assembly” and further noted that “[t]he applicant *912 would…”

State v. Lopez, 45 A.3d 1 (R.I. 2012). · cites it 4× “See G.L.1956 § 13-8-13(a)(3)(i)-(ii). By that time, the defendant would be in his mid-seventies.”

DeCiantis v. State, 666 A.2d 410 (R.I. 1995). · cites it 7× “1956 (1994 Reenactment) § 13-8-10 to require the Board to grant applicant parole on the concurrent sentences.”

State v. Ballard, 699 A.2d 14 (R.I. 1997). · cites it 4× “Under his present sentence Ballard would be eligible to apply for parole after he has served twenty years, G.L.1956 § 13-8-13; see also DeCiantis v.”

Orzechowski v. State, 485 A.2d 545 (R.I. 1984). · cites it 3× “1956 (1969 Reenactment) § 13-8-13, as amended by P.L.1975, ch. 190, § 1.”

State of Iowa v. Rene Zarate, 908 N.W.2d 831 (Iowa 2018). “(2017) ); 13 R.I. Gen. Laws Ann. § 13-8-13 (a) (West, Westlaw through ch.”

Pine v. Clark, 636 A.2d 1319 (R.I. 1994). · cites it 2× “1956 (1981 Reenactment) § 13-8-13, which delineates parole eligibility for life prisoners and prisoners with long sentences.”

State v. Winston, 252 A.2d 354 (R.I. 1969). “1956, §13-8-13, as amended, provides that a prisoner who has been convicted of murder in the first degree may not seek parole until he has served 20 years.”

State v. Upham, 415 A.2d 1029 (R.I. 1980). “” He also describes § 12-19-5 as the keystone of the parole system established by the General Assembly, safeguarding by its presence that portion of § 13-8-13 (1979 Supp.) whereby the parole board “may” parole a “lifer” who has served ten years of the life sentence.”

Bishop v. Moran, 676 F. Supp. 416 (D.R.I. 1987). “An inmate who was not sentenced to life imprisonment becomes eligible for parole after serving one-third of his term. R.I.G.L. § 13-3-9 (Miche 1981).”

Show all 20 citing cases →

— R.I. Gen. Laws § 13-8-13(a) — 1 case

State v. Ballard, 699 A.2d 14 (R.I. 1997). “Under his present sentence Ballard would be eligible to apply for parole after he has served twenty years, G.L.1956 § 13-8-13; see also DeCiantis v.”

— R.I. Gen. Laws § 13-8-13(a)(3)(i) — 1 case

State v. Lopez, 45 A.3d 1 (R.I. 2012). “See G.L.1956 § 13-8-13(a)(3)(i)-(ii). By that time, the defendant would be in his mid-seventies.”

— R.I. Gen. Laws § 13-8-13(b) — 2 cases

Lerner v. Gill, 463 A.2d 1352 (R.I. 1983). “If either calculation results in a term of years greater than ten, § 13-8-13 controls, and the prisoner becomes eligible after serving ten years.”

DeCiantis v. State, 666 A.2d 410 (R.I. 1995). “1956 (1994 Reenactment) § 13-8-10 to require the Board to grant applicant parole on the concurrent sentences.”

— R.I. Gen. Laws § 13-8-13(e) — 4 cases

Winona M. Fletcher v. State of Alaska (Alaska Ct. App. 2023).

Francisco Martinez v. State of Rhode Island (R.I. 2025).

Michael Lambert v. Wayne T. Salisbury, Jr. (R.I. 2025).

Winona M. Fletcher v. State of Alaska (Alaska Ct. App. 2023).

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.