The bill amends Section 11-8-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-8, which pertains to "Burglary and Breaking and Entering." It introduces a new legal framework regarding self-defense in cases where a person dies or sustains injury while committing a criminal offense. Specifically, it establishes a rebuttable presumption that if a person dies or is injured while committing a violent criminal offense against a person, and that person is lawfully in a place they have a right to be, it shall be rebuttably presumed that the owner, tenant, or occupier of the property acted in self-defense. This presumption applies if the owner, tenant, or occupier reasonably believed that the individual committing the offense was about to inflict great bodily harm or death upon them or any other individual lawfully present in the location.

The bill also clarifies that there is no duty on the part of an owner, tenant, or occupier to retreat from a person engaged in the commission of any violent criminal offense if that person is lawfully in a place they have a right to be. The offenses covered by this bill include those enumerated in sections 11-8-2, 11-8-6, and 11-39-2. The act is set to take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
317: 11-8-8