R.I. Gen. Laws § 30-13-13: Punishment prohibited before trial.

Subject to § 30-13-60, no person, while being held for trial or pending the result of trial, may be subjected to punishment or penalty other than arrest or confinement upon the charges pending against that person, nor shall the arrest or confinement imposed upon him or her be any more rigorous than the circumstances require to insure his or her presence, but he or she may be subjected to minor punishment during that period for infractions of discipline.