Cranston can count inmates at the Adult Correctional Institutions as residents. The decision from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturns a previous decision in U.S. District Court.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island is criticizing the decision, saying it amounts to “prison gerrymandering.” Including prison inmates as residents increases one city ward’s population by more than 3,000 residents. 

The ACLU says that gives disproportionate voting power to the ward, for things like city council and school committee.

The ACLU had argued that inmates are not actual constituents of local elected officials, but remain residents of their pre-incarceration communities.