Rhode Island General Laws Title 42. State Affairs and Government § 42-56-1. Declaration of policy

(1) The state has a basic obligation to protect the public by providing institutional confinement and care of offenders and evidence-based probation and parole supervision and, where appropriate, treatment in the community;

(2) Efforts to rehabilitate and restore criminal offenders as law-abiding and productive members of society are essential to the reduction of crime;

(3) Maintaining the quality and effectiveness of correctional institutions and rehabilitative services, both inside and outside correctional institutions, deserves priority consideration as a means of lowering crime rates and of preventing offenders, particularly youths, first-offenders, and misdemeanants, from becoming trapped in careers of crime; and

(4) Correctional institutions, supervision, and services should be so diversified in program and personnel as to facilitate individualized treatment.