Criminal History on Applications for Employment (ban-the-box)
RI Ban-the-Box Law
Employees
Prohibits employers from asking on job applications whether an applicant has ever been arrested, charged or convicted, except for law enforcement positions, jobs where law mandates disqualification for specified convictions, and jobs requiring a fidelity bond that specified convictions would bar.
- Where
- Rhode Island
- Citation
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-6.14-1
- Status
- In force
- Enforced by
- Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, with the Commission for Human Rights
- People can sue
- No
- Penalties
- Enforced through Department of Labor and Training investigations, subpoenas and administrative hearings under chs. 28-12 and 28-14; no specific fine is stated in the section.
- Applies to
- Employers in Rhode Island using employment applications (law enforcement agency positions excepted)
Practices it requires
- Do not include on an employment application a question asking whether the applicant has ever been arrested, charged with or convicted of a crime, except for law enforcement positions and the narrow statutory or bonding exceptions (which permit asking only about the specified disqualifying convictions).R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-6.14-1(a)
Sources
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-25 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: The substantive prohibition may appear in the Fair Employment Practices Act (§ 28-5-7(7)); § 28-6.14-1 as fetched is framed as the enforcement grant. The ch. 28-5 text was not reviewed.
Research reference, not legal advice.