R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-17-15 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-17 / Section 12-17-15
§ 12-17-15. Compelling evidence in criminal proceedings  Immunity.
Status: in_force

Whenever a witness, including a child as defined in § 14-1-3, refuses, on the basis of his or her privilege against self-incrimination, to answer a question or to produce other evidence of any kind in a criminal proceeding before any court or grand jury of this state, the attorney general may, in writing, request the presiding justice of the superior court or the chief judge of the family court or the district court to order the witness to answer the question or produce the evidence. The court, in its discretion, after notice to the witness, may order the witness to answer the question or produce the evidence. The witness may not refuse to comply with the order on the basis of his privilege against self-incrimination; but the witness shall not be prosecuted or subjected to penalty or forfeiture for, or on account of, any transaction or matter regarding which, in accordance with the order, he or she gave answer or produced evidence and no testimony or other information compelled under the order or any information directly or indirectly derived from the testimony or other information shall be used against the witness in any criminal case, except he or she may be prosecuted or subjected to penalty or forfeiture for any perjury, false swearing, or contempt committed in answering or failing to answer, or in producing or failing to produce evidence, in accordance with the order. No court order directing a witness to answer a question or to produce evidence issued pursuant to this section shall operate to vacate, modify, or otherwise prevent the enforcement of any conviction, judgment, or sentence entered by any court against the witness prior to the grant of immunity, unless the order entered pursuant to this section expressly provides for it.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-10-5 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-10 / Section 12-10-5
§ 12-10-5. Discharge of person charged with offense beyond trial jurisdiction of district court.
Status: in_force

Whenever any person shall be brought before any district court, charged with any offense which it has not jurisdiction to try and determine, and, after hearing all the evidence adduced in relation to it, it shall not appear to the district court that the accused is probably guilty of the offense, or of any other offense substantially charged in the complaint, the accused shall be immediately discharged.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-11 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-11
§ 12-21-11. Quarterly reports and payments by district court.
Status: in_force

The clerk of each division of the district court, shall, between the first and fifteenth days of February, May, August, and November in each year, make an itemized return in writing to the city or town treasurer of every city or town in the division of all fines received by the clerk during the preceding quarter, which or part of which shall be due to the city or town, and of costs paid by the clerk out of money belonging to the city or town, and the amount and circumstances of all of these fines received by the clerk and costs paid by the clerk and not included in any previous return. The clerk making the return shall immediately thereafter cause to be paid to the city or town treasurer the balance of all moneys belonging to the city or town.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-17 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-17
§ 12-21-17. Payment and accounting for fines due other than to state.
Status: in_force

All fines recovered under any statute of this state, the whole or any part of which may be due or payable to any city, town, or society, or to any person as complainant, shall be accounted for with the state controller, and be paid to the general treasurer. The general treasurer shall, upon the order of the state controller, pay to the city, town, society, or person so much of the amount of the fine so recovered as the city, town, society, or person may be entitled to, which order shall be drawn by the state controller whenever he or she shall receive a proper return or certificate from the clerk of the court in which the fine was imposed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-4 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-4
§ 12-21-4. Jurisdiction of district and superior courts.
Status: in_force

All fines, penalties, and forfeitures, whether of money or property, of five hundred dollars ($500) and under or of the value of five hundred dollars ($500) and under, shall be prosecuted before a district court; if upwards of five hundred dollars ($500) in amount or value, before the superior court, unless otherwise specially provided.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-3 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-3
§ 12-21-3. Venue of actions based on penal statutes.
Status: in_force

Unless otherwise specially provided, all fines of and informations founded on any penal statute shall be brought within the county in which the offense was committed, and not elsewhere; provided, that the superior court for the county of Providence shall have jurisdiction of all proceedings for the recovery of more than five hundred dollars ($500) when the offense was committed in the county of Bristol.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-13-5.1 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-13 / Section 12-13-5.1
§ 12-13-5.1. Presumption of danger to the community.
Status: in_force

Whenever a person is charged with, or indicted or informed against, for an offense involving the unlawful sale, distribution, manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture, sell, distribute, or deliver any controlled substance, or by possession of any controlled substance punishable by imprisonment for ten (10) years or more, and the state objects to the setting of bail pursuant to the R.I. Const., Art. I, Sec. IX, if the court determines that the proof of guilt is evident or the presumption great, then it shall be presumed that the person is a danger to the safety of the community unless that presumption is rebutted by the defendant.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-25-20 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-25 / Section 12-25-20
§ 12-25-20. Offenses to which chapter applies.
Status: in_force

The office may award compensation in accordance with the provisions of this chapter for personal injury or death which resulted from offenses in the following categories:

(1) Assault with intent to commit murder, robbery, or rape;

(2) Assault with a dangerous weapon;

(3) Assault and battery;

(4) Mayhem;

(5) Indecent assault and battery on a child under thirteen (13) years of age;

(6) Arson or statutory burning;

(7) Kidnapping;

(8) Robbery or larceny from that person;

(9) Murder;

(10) Manslaughter;

(11) First or second degree sexual assault;

(12) Child molestation, first or second degree;

(13) The abominable and detestable crime against nature or assault with intent to commit the abominable and detestable crime against nature;

(14) Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs;

(15) Refusal by a driver to submit to a chemical test for alcohol or drugs in the immediate aftermath of a collision;

(16) Driving so as to endanger, resulting in death, pursuant to § 31-27-1;

(17) Driving so as to endanger, resulting in personal injury, pursuant to § 31-27-1.1;

(18) Any other crime excluding motor vehicle offenses other than those enumerated in this section which results in personal injury or death; and

(19) Failure to stop by a driver in circumstances which result in the death of any person, pursuant to § 31-26-1.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-8-5 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-8 / Section 12-8-5
§ 12-8-5. Commitment or discharge of person arrested.
Status: in_force

If an arrest is made in this state by an officer of another state in accordance with the provisions of § 12-8-3, he or she shall without unnecessary delay take the person arrested before the district court for the division in which the arrest was made and the court shall conduct a hearing for the purpose of determining the lawfulness of the arrest. If the judge determines that the arrest was lawful, he or she shall commit the person arrested to await for a reasonable time the issuance of an extradition warrant by the governor of this state. If the judge determines that the arrest was unlawful he shall discharge the person arrested.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-22-11 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-22 / Section 12-22-11
§ 12-22-11. Failure to prosecute constitutional objection.
Status: in_force

If the party raising any certified constitutional question shall fail to appear in the supreme court and prosecute the cause in which the question is raised, the cause shall be remanded to the court from which it was certified, and the court shall then proceed in the same manner as if the question had not been raised; and the question shall not be raised again in the cause.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-12-17 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-12 / Section 12-12-17
§ 12-12-17. Statute of limitations.
Status: in_force

(a) There shall be no statute of limitations for the following offenses: treason against the state; any homicide, arson, first-degree arson, second-degree arson, third-degree arson, burglary, counterfeiting, forgery, robbery, rape, first-degree sexual assault, first-degree child molestation sexual assault, second-degree child molestation sexual assault, bigamy; manufacturing, selling, distribution, or possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or distribute, a controlled substance under the Uniform Controlled Substance Act, chapter 28 of title 21; or any other offense for which the maximum penalty provided is life imprisonment.

(b) The statute of limitations for the following offenses shall be ten (10) years: larceny under § 11-41-2 (receiving stolen goods), § 11-41-3 (embezzlement and fraudulent conversion), § 11-41-4 (obtaining property by false pretenses or personation), § 11-41-11 (embezzlement by bank officer or employee), § 11-41-12 (fraudulent conversion by agent or factor), and § 11-41-13 (obtaining signature by false pretenses), or any larceny that is punishable as a felony; any violation of chapter 7 of title 11 (bribery); any violation of § 11-18-1 (giving false document to agent, employee, or public official); perjury; any violation of chapter 42 of title 11 (threats and extortion); any violation of chapter 15 of title 7 (racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations); any violation of chapter 57 of title 11 (racketeer violence); any violation of chapter 36 of title 6 (antitrust law); any violation of § 11-68-2 (exploitation of an elder); any violation of § 11-41-11.1 (unlawful appropriation); any violation of § 11-18-6 (false financial statement to obtain loan or credit); any violation of § 19-9-28 (false statement to obtain a loan); any violation of § 19-9-29 (bank fraud); or any violation of § 11-18-34 (residential mortgage fraud).

(c) The statute of limitations for any other criminal offense shall be three (3) years, unless a longer statute of limitations is otherwise provided for in the general laws.

(d) Any person who participates in any offense, either as a principal accessory or conspirator, shall be subject to the same statute of limitations as if the person had committed the substantive offense.

(e) The statute of limitations for any violation of chapter 18.9 of title 23 (refuse disposal), chapter 19 of title 23 (solid waste management corporation), chapter 19.1 of title 23 (hazardous waste management), chapter 12 of title 46 (water pollution), and chapter 13 of title 46 (public drinking water supply) shall be seven (7) years from the time that the facts constituting the offense or violation shall have become known to law enforcement authorities, unless a longer statute of limitations is otherwise provided for in the general laws.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-6 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-6
§ 12-21-6. Commencement of period of neglect.
Status: in_force

Whenever any penalty shall be imposed for neglect during any period of time, the neglect may be alleged to have commenced at any specified time, and shall be reckoned from the time so specified.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-29-2 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-29 / Section 12-29-2
§ 12-29-2. Definitions.
Status: in_force

(a) Domestic violence includes, but is not limited to, any of the following crimes when committed by one family or household member against another:

(1) Simple assault (§ 11-5-3);

(2) Felony assaults (chapter 5 of title 11);

(3) Vandalism (§ 11-44-1);

(4) Disorderly conduct (§ 11-45-1);

(5) Trespass (§ 11-44-26);

(6) Kidnapping (§ 11-26-1);

(7) Child-snatching (§ 11-26-1.1);

(8) Sexual assault (§§ 11-37-2, 11-37-4);

(9) Homicide (§§ 11-23-1 and 11-23-3);

(10) Violation of the provisions of a protective order entered pursuant to § 15-5-19, chapter 15 of title 15, or chapter 8.1 of title 8 where the respondent has knowledge of the order and the penalty for its violation, or a violation of a no contact order issued pursuant to § 12-29-4;

(11) Stalking (chapter 59 of title 11);

(12) Refusal to relinquish or to damage or to obstruct a telephone (§ 11-35-14);

(13) Burglary and Unlawful Entry (chapter 8 of title 11);

(14) Arson (chapter 4 of title 11);

(15) Cyberstalking and cyberharassment (§ 11-52-4.2);

(16) Domestic assault by strangulation § 11-5-2.3; and

(17) Electronic tracking of motor vehicles (§ 11-69-1).

(b) Family or household member means spouses, former spouses, adult persons related by blood or marriage, adult persons who are presently residing together or who have resided together in the past three (3) years, and persons who have a child in common regardless of whether they have been married or have lived together, or persons who are, or have been, in a substantive dating or engagement relationship within the past one year which shall be determined by the courts consideration of the following factors:

(1) The length of time of the relationship;

(2) The type of the relationship;

(3) The frequency of the interaction between the parties.

(c) Protective order means an order issued pursuant to § 15-5-19, chapter 15 of title 15, or chapter 8.1 of title 8.

(d) Victim means a family or household member who has been subjected to domestic violence.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-9-34 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-9 / Section 12-9-34
§ 12-9-34. Uniformity of construction.
Status: in_force

The provisions of this chapter shall be so interpreted and construed as to effectuate its general purposes to make uniform the law of those states which enact it.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-5-3 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-5 / Section 12-5-3
§ 12-5-3. Issuance and contents.
Status: in_force

(a) A warrant shall issue only upon complaint in writing, under oath of:

(1) A chief of police, deputy chief of police or other members of the police force of any city or town, or deputy sheriff of any county, member of the division of state police, full time conservation officer of the department of environmental management, or other person specifically authorized by law to bring complaints for violation of the law which it is his or her responsibility to enforce;

(2) Additionally, in the case of property stolen, embezzled, or obtained by fraud or false pretenses, any person who has a right to the possession of the property.

(3) Additionally, a sworn law enforcement member of any city or town where that member is serving on a statewide task force.

(b) Within fourteen (14) days of the issuance of any warrant under this chapter, whether or not executed, the warrant, accompanied by any supporting affidavits and an inventory of any property seized, shall be returned to the district court having jurisdiction over the place of the search or, in the event of a warrant that is not executed, the court from which it was issued. The returns shall be maintained by the district court according to the date of issuance. If not otherwise indicated, the return shall note whether the warrant was executed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-9-22 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-9 / Section 12-9-22
§ 12-9-22. Persons under prosecution in this state.
Status: in_force

If a criminal prosecution has been instituted against the person under the laws of this state and is still pending, the governor, in his or her discretion, either may surrender him or her on demand of the executive authority of another state or hold him or her until he or she has been tried and discharged or convicted and punished in this state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-9-30 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-9 / Section 12-9-30
§ 12-9-30. Execution of waiver of extradition.
Status: in_force

Any person arrested in this state charged, with having committed any crime in another state, or alleged to have escaped from confinement or broken the terms of his or her bail, probation, or parole, may waive the issuance and service of the warrant provided for in §§ 12-9-9 and 12-9-10 and all other procedure incidental to extradition proceedings, by executing or subscribing in the presence of a judge of any court of record within this state a writing which states that he or she consents to return to the demanding state; provided, that before the waiver shall be executed or subscribed by the person it shall be the duty of the judge to inform the person of his or her rights to the issuance and service of a warrant of extradition and to obtain a writ of habeas corpus as provided for in § 12-9-12.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-19-26 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-19 / Section 12-19-26
§ 12-19-26. Sentence of minor to training school for youth.
Status: in_force

Whenever any person under the age of eighteen (18) years shall be convicted by any court of any criminal offense, the court may sentence the person to the state training school for youth for a term not less than two (2) years, nor longer than his or her minority, or to any punishment that is otherwise provided by law for the same offense, and if the sentence is to the training school for youth, then it shall be in the alternative to the state training school for youth or to any punishment that would otherwise have been awarded; provided, that whenever the sentence is imposed, it shall be reduced by the number of days spent in confinement while awaiting trial and while awaiting sentencing.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-1-1 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-1 / Section 12-1-1
§ 12-1-1. Rewards offered by governor.
Status: in_force

Whenever any murder, attempt at murder, robbery, or other high crime, shall be committed in the state, and the perpetrator shall escape detection, or shall escape from custody or imprisonment, either before or after conviction, the governor may issue his or her proclamation offering a suitable reward, not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), for the apprehension of the offender.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-31 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-31
§ 12-21-31. Finality of superior court judgment.
Status: in_force

The judgment of the superior court shall be final in all cases of forfeitures, whether originally commenced in the court or brought there by appeal under the provisions of this chapter, unless a new trial is ordered, for cause shown, by the supreme court.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-22-8 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-22 / Section 12-22-8
§ 12-22-8. Admission of guilt before appellate court.
Status: in_force

Whenever any appellant who has been sentenced to pay a fine and costs only, having given recognizance, shall at any time before the assignment day of the appeal appear before the court to which the appeal was taken and plead guilty to the complaint upon which the appeal was taken, or shall admit that the state has sufficient evidence to convict him or her on the complaint, the court shall adjudge him or her guilty of the offense as charged in the complaint, and shall sentence the appellant to pay the same fine that was imposed in the court from which his or her appeal was taken, together with all costs.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-12-22 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-12 / Section 12-12-22
§ 12-12-22. Arraignments and pleas  Notices to aliens.
Status: in_force

(a) At the time of criminal arraignment in the district or superior court, each defendant shall be informed that if he or she is an alien in the United States, a plea of guilty or nolo contendere may affect his or her immigration status. Failure to so inform the defendant at the arraignment shall not invalidate any action subsequently taken by the court.

(b) Prior to accepting a plea of guilty or nolo contendere in the district or superior court, the court shall inform the defendant that if he or she is not a citizen of the United States, a plea of guilty or nolo contendere may have immigration consequences, including deportation, exclusion of admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization pursuant to the laws of the United States. Upon request, the court shall allow the defendant additional time to consider the appropriateness of the plea in light of this advisement.

(c) If the court fails to so inform the defendant as required by this section, and the defendant later shows that his plea and conviction may have immigration consequences, the defendant shall be entitled, upon a proper petition for post-conviction relief, to have the plea vacated. Absent a record that the court provided the advisement required by this section, the defendant shall be presumed not have received the advisement.

(d) The defendant shall not be required at the time of the plea to disclose to the court his or her legal status in the United States.

(e) In the first week of January, 2001 and each year thereafter, the attorney general shall submit to the general assembly a list of cases in which a disposition was vacated pursuant to this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-19-27 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-19 / Section 12-19-27
§ 12-19-27. Commitment to training school for youth.
Status: in_force

Whenever any person shall be sentenced to imprisonment in the state training school for youth, the court passing the sentence shall immediately issue a warrant, under the seal of the court, directed to the division of sheriffs, or to any town sergeant or constable of any county in which the court is held, reciting the sentence and requiring a deputy sheriff, town sergeant, or constable to take the person so sentenced and deliver him or her to the superintendent of the training school, and the warrant shall constitute the officer charged with it, while he or she has the warrant in his or her possession for service, an officer in any county in this state into which it may be necessary for him to go, to all intents and purposes whatsoever.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-9-21 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-9 / Section 12-9-21
§ 12-9-21. Forfeiture of bail.
Status: in_force

If the prisoner is admitted to bail, and fails to appear and surrender according to the conditions of his or her bond, the judge, by proper order, shall declare the bond forfeited and order his or her immediate arrest without warrant if he or she is within this state. Recovery may be had on the bond in the name of the state as in the case of other bonds given by the accused in criminal proceedings within this state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-6-6 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-6 / Section 12-6-6
§ 12-6-6. Surety for costs not required of police officers.
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever any complaint shall be made by the sheriff or any deputy sheriff of any county, or by any member of the division of state police, any member of the campus police forces at the state colleges or universities, or any conservation officer of the department of environmental management, or by the chief of police, deputy chief of police, commander, captain, police inspector, or other member of the police force, or town sergeant of any city or town, within any division of the district court, to the judge of the district court or to any justice of the peace authorized to issue warrants in the division, against any person for any criminal offense committed within the division, the sheriff, deputy sheriff, member of the division of state police, member of the campus police forces at the state colleges or universities, conservation officer of the department of environmental management, chief of police, deputy chief of police, commander, captain, police inspector or other member of the police force, or city or town sergeant shall not be required to give surety for costs, but shall give his or her personal recognizance and be liable in his or her individual capacity for the costs.

(b) In addition to the officials specified in subsection (a) of this section, the following persons shall be subject to its provisions:

(1) Police sergeants, lieutenants, and detectives in the town of Bristol;

(2) All members of the town of Barrington police force above the rank of patrol officer;

(3) A police sergeant or his or her superior in the town of Johnston;

(4) Police lieutenants and sergeants in the city of Cranston;

(5) Any police lieutenant or police sergeant in the town of Coventry;

(6) Any police lieutenant in the town of North Kingstown;

(7) All members of the town of Lincoln police force above the rank of patrol officer;

(8) Police lieutenants, detective sergeants, and sergeants in the town of Westerly;

(9) All members of the town of Portsmouth police force above the rank of patrol officer;

(10) All members of the town of Burrillville police force above the rank of patrol officer;

(11) All members of the town of Glocester police force above the rank of patrol officer;

(12) All members of the town of Scituate police force above the rank of patrol officer;

(13) All members of the town of Middletown police force above the rank of patrol officer;

(14) All lieutenants and detective sergeants of the town of South Kingstown police force;

(15) Police sergeants in the town of Warren;

(16) Police sergeants and lieutenants in the city of Woonsocket;

(17) A police sergeant or his or her superior in the town of Foster;

(18) All members of the town of Hopkinton police force above the rank of patrol officer;

(19) All members of the campus police force at the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, or the Community College of Rhode Island, above the rank of campus police officer;

(20) A police sergeant, the town sergeant or any officer of higher rank in the town of New Shoreham;

(21) All members of the town of Cumberland police force above the rank of patrol officer;

(22) Any police sergeant or his or her superior in the town of Charlestown;

(23) A police sergeant or his or her superior in the town of North Smithfield;

(24) All members of the town of East Greenwich police force above the rank of patrol officer;

(25) All members of the Richmond police department, designated by the chief of police;

(26) All lieutenants of the city of East Providence police department;

(27) All investigators of the department of attorney general appointed pursuant to § 42-9-8.1;

(28) All members of the town of West Greenwich police force above the rank of corporal;

(29) All inspectors and agents of the Rhode Island state fugitive task force appointed pursuant to § 12-6-7.2; and

(30) All members of the Rhode Island airport police department at or above the rank of inspector.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-19-6 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-19 / Section 12-19-6
§ 12-19-6. Presentence reports.
Status: in_force

Whenever an accused shall be found guilty after trial or shall plead guilty or nolo contendere on any charge for which a sentence of more than one year may be imposed, the court shall, before imposing sentence, have presented to it by the administrator of probation and parole a presentence report. All local and state police agencies shall furnish to the administrator of probation and parole any criminal records that the administrator may request.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-22-7 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-22 / Section 12-22-7
§ 12-22-7. Assignment day in superior court  Trial by attorney general.
Status: in_force

The assignment day for appeals in criminal cases in the superior court shall be the assignment day in that court which occurs next after ten (10) days from the date of the sentence appealed from. All appeals shall be tried by the attorney general, except as otherwise provided.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-16-2 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-16 / Section 12-16-2
§ 12-16-2. Definitions.
Status: in_force

(a) State includes any territory of the United States and the District of Columbia.

(b) Witness as used in this chapter includes a person whose testimony is desired in any proceeding or investigation by a grand jury or in a criminal action, prosecution, or proceeding.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-22-5 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-22 / Section 12-22-5
§ 12-22-5. Commitment pending appeal  Discharge on payment of fine and costs by labor.
Status: in_force

Every person claiming an appeal from a sentence of the district court who shall fail to enter into a recognizance in the court or in the office of the clerk of the court appealed from shall upon sentence immediately be committed to the penal institution as sentenced, there to remain until he or she enters into a recognizance as provided in this chapter or is discharged pursuant to law; provided, that in the counties of Newport and Washington any person before removal from the county or division in which sentence is entered may claim an appeal from the sentence of the district court to the superior court by claiming the appeal and entering into recognizance in like manner as required by law before the clerk of the court appealed from, or at the adult correctional institutions, before the clerk of the court from which the appeal is taken, or before any of the persons authorized by law to take bail. Whenever an appellant has earned by labor at any penal institution a sum equal to the amount of the fine and costs in the case in which he or she was committed, including all costs accruing at that institution, and has served the full term of imprisonment for which he or she was sentenced, the warden or other person having charge of the institution shall apply with the consent of the appellant the amount so earned by him or her to the settlement of the fines and costs, and the appellant shall then be discharged.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-5-2 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-5 / Section 12-5-2
§ 12-5-2. Grounds for issuance.
Status: in_force

A warrant may be issued under this chapter to search for and seize any of the following:

(1) Property stolen or embezzled, or obtained by any false pretense, or pretenses, with intent to cheat or defraud within this state, or elsewhere;

(2) Property kept, suffered to be kept, concealed, deposited, or possessed in violation of law, or for the purpose of violating the law;

(3) Property designed or intended for use, or that is or has been used, in violation of law, or as a means of committing a violation of law;

(4) Property that is evidence of the commission of a crime;

(5) Samples of blood, saliva, hair, bodily tissues, bodily fluids, or dental impressions from the body of a person that may yield evidence of the identity of the perpetrator of a crime when subjected to scientific or other forensic analysis. The foregoing samples, and the results of any scientific or other forensic analysis, shall be admissible in all criminal proceedings, subject to application of the rules of evidence and criminal procedure. When any of the foregoing samples are seized for scientific or forensic analysis, the seizure shall be conducted in accordance with the regulations, guidelines, or protocols of the department of health or the state crime laboratory, as may be appropriate under the circumstances;

(6) Samples of blood or breath that may yield evidence of the presence of alcohol or a controlled substance when subjected to a chemical test, as contemplated in § 31-27-2. When any of the foregoing samples are seized for purposes of performing the aforementioned chemical test, the seizure shall be conducted in accordance with the regulations of the department of health that apply to the consensual collection of such a sample for purposes of the chemical test contemplated by § 31-27-2; or

(7) Property of a respondent under chapter 8.3 of title 8 where firearms may be under the possession, custody, or control of the respondent.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-29-8 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-29 / Section 12-29-8
§ 12-29-8. Domestic violence reports.
Status: in_force

(a) A law enforcement officer who responds to or investigates a domestic violence incident shall complete a domestic violence report, whether or not an arrest occurs.

(b) For the purpose of establishing accurate data on the extent and severity of domestic violence in the state and on the degree of compliance with the requirements of § 12-29-3, the domestic violence training and monitoring unit of the court system shall prescribe a form for making domestic violence reports. The form shall include, but is not limited to, the following information:

(1) Name of the parties;

(2) Relationship of the parties;

(3) Sex of the parties;

(4) Date of birth of the parties;

(5) Time and date of the incident;

(6) Whether children were involved or whether the alleged act of domestic violence was committed in the presence of children;

(7) Type and extent of the alleged abuse;

(8) Number and types of weapons involved;

(9) Existence of any prior court order; and

(10) Any other data that may be necessary for a complete analysis of all circumstances leading to the arrest.

(c) Each police department shall forward copies of the reports to the unit at the end of each month.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-29-10 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-29 / Section 12-29-10
§ 12-29-10. Severability.
Status: in_force

If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstances is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the chapter which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this chapter are declared to be severable.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-9-11 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-9 / Section 12-9-11
§ 12-9-11. Commanding assistance in execution of warrant.
Status: in_force

Every peace officer, or other person empowered to make the arrest, shall have the same authority, in arresting the accused, to command assistance in the arrest as peace officers have by law in the execution of any criminal process directed to them, with like penalties against those who refuse their assistance.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-28-4 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-28 / Section 12-28-4
§ 12-28-4. Right to address court prior to sentencing.
Status: in_force

(a) Prior to the imposition of sentence upon a defendant who has been adjudicated guilty of a crime in a trial, the victim of the criminal offense shall be afforded the opportunity to address the court regarding the impact which the defendants criminal conduct has had upon the victim. The victim shall be permitted to speak prior to counsel for the state and the defendant making their sentencing recommendations to the court and prior to the defendants exercise of his or her right to address the court.

(b) For the purposes of this section, victim is one who has sustained personal injury or loss of property directly attributable to the felonious conduct of which the defendant has been convicted. In homicide cases, a member of the immediate family of the victim shall be afforded the right created by this section.

(c) Community impact statement means a written statement providing information about the financial, emotional and physical effects of a crime on a community. Community means a society or body of people living in the same place or neighborhood sharing common interests arising from social, business, religious, governmental, scholastic or recreational associations.

(d) In addition to the right of a victim as identified in subsection (b) of this section, if the crime has an impact on the community where the incident took place, any person, association or other group of persons may file a community impact statement with the court prior to the imposition of sentence on a defendant.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-28-7 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-28 / Section 12-28-7
§ 12-28-7. Noncompliance not affecting validity of conviction, sentence, or parole.
Status: in_force

Failure to afford the victim of a felony offense any of the rights established by this chapter shall not constitute grounds for vacating an otherwise lawful conviction, or for voiding an otherwise lawful sentence or parole determination.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-14-3 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-14 / Section 12-14-3
§ 12-14-3. Violations of Central Falls ordinance.
Status: in_force

The city of Central Falls is authorized and empowered to fix any fines that the council committee on police may, from time to time, establish for violation of traffic ordinances. The council committee on police may designate one person who shall act as clerk of the police department for the purpose of collecting fines as provided in this section, when the offender decides to dispose of the charge without personal appearance in court, within seven (7) days from notification of the fine. The police clerk of the police department is authorized to receive the fines directly from any person charged with a violation of any provision of the ordinances of the city relating to traffic, and the money so received and collected shall be turned over by the police clerk to the city treasurer. All charges, records and payments shall be immediately entered by the clerk of police, and the books of the clerk of police containing records of the violations, their dispositions, and money received as fines shall be audited not less than once each month by the city auditor of the city. In the event the offender refuses or neglects to dispose of the charges before seven (7) days, then he or she shall be brought before the district court for the fifth division for trial and for any disposition of the case that the court may decide to be proper, in which case the provisions of § 12-14-1 relating to fines and their disposition shall prevail.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-13-19 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-13 / Section 12-13-19
§ 12-13-19. Surrender or commitment of principal.
Status: in_force

The surety may at any time surrender the principal to the court or magistrate who took the recognizance; provided, that in case any recognizance shall have been certified to some other court, the surrender shall be made to the court when in session; or the surety may at any time commit the principal to the adult correctional institutions, leaving with the warden a certified copy of the recognizance; and upon the surrender or commitment, the surety shall be discharged and exempt from all liability for any subsequent act of the principal, which would have been a breach of the condition of the recognizance.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-23-4 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-23 / Section 12-23-4
§ 12-23-4. Studies and surveys.
Status: in_force

For the purpose of improving and rendering more effective and efficient the administration of the criminal law in this state, the commission is authorized to make a complete study and survey of the subject including the detection, prosecution, and punishment of offenders, the probation, parole, and pardoning systems, and the duties, methods, and practices of the officers and agencies directly and indirectly connected with the enforcement of law, the suppression and prevention of crime and the care and treatment of the criminal, and for this purpose the commission may make any inquiry that it may deem necessary into the administration of the criminal law by the authorities of other states, the United States, and other countries.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-20-6 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-20 / Section 12-20-6
§ 12-20-6. Fees of city and town police departments and state agencies.
Status: in_force

For each criminal complaint filed in the district court by a city or town police department, the state police, or a state agency, the clerk of the district court shall assess against the defendant and remit to the city or town or the state the sum of three dollars and fifty cents ($3.50), to be taxed as costs against the defendant.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-12-16 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-12 / Section 12-12-16
§ 12-12-16. Allegations as to property held jointly, in common, or by partners.
Status: in_force

In every indictment, information or complaint for any felony or misdemeanor, whenever it shall be requisite to state the ownership of any property whatsoever, whether real or personal, which shall belong to or be in possession of more than one person, whether the persons are partners in trade, joint tenants, tenants in common, members of joint stock companies, or trustees, and whenever it shall be necessary to mention, for any purpose whatsoever, any partners, joint tenants, tenants in common, members of joint stock companies, or trustees, it shall be sufficient to name one of the persons and state the property to belong to the person so named the and another or others, as the case may be.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-4-2 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-4 / Section 12-4-2
§ 12-4-2. Warrant to apprehend accused.
Status: in_force

If the complainant shall then, before the judge or justice of the peace, enter into a recognizance in a sum not exceeding fifty dollars ($50.00), and with this surety, as the judge or justice of the peace shall direct and approve, with condition to prosecute the complaint with effect, or in default of prosecution to pay the costs that may accrue to the state, the judge or justice of the peace shall issue a warrant returnable immediately, annexing to the warrant the complaint, or reciting its substance in it, directed to the sheriff, deputy sheriffs, town sergeants, and town constables in the county in which the division is, and to the like officers in the county in which the accused may be supposed to belong, reside, or be found, and requiring the officer who shall be charged with the service of the warrant immediately to apprehend the accused and have him or her before the district court for the division in which the offense shall be alleged to have been committed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-10-1 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-10 / Section 12-10-1
§ 12-10-1. Court open at all times.
Status: in_force

The district court shall be open at all times for the transaction of criminal business.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-1-16 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-1 / Section 12-1-16
§ 12-1-16. Improvement of lineup procedures task force.
Status: in_force

(a) In order to: (1) Prevent the injustice of a wrongful conviction caused by mistaken eyewitness identification; (2) Improve lineup procedures during criminal investigations; and (3) Further improve the already high quality of criminal justice in our state, the general assembly creates a taskforce to identify and recommend policies and procedures to improve the accuracy of eyewitness identifications.

(b) The task force shall be comprised of the following or their designees:

(1) Attorney general;

(2) Public defender;

(3) Superintendent of the Rhode Island state police;

(4) President of the Rhode Island police chiefs association;

(5) Head of the municipal police training academy;

(6) President of the Rhode Island bar association;

(7) President of the Rhode Island association of criminal defense lawyers;

(8) A representative from a Rhode Island university with expertise in the relevant social sciences as demonstrated by teaching, publication and other scholarly applications; and

(9) Executive director of the Rhode Island commission for Human Rights.

(c) The task force, in consultation with eyewitness identification practitioners and experts, shall develop guidelines for policies, procedures and training with respect to the collection and handling of eyewitness evidence in criminal investigations by law enforcement agencies in Rhode Island. The purpose of the guidelines is to provide law enforcement agencies with information regarding policies and procedures proven to increase the accuracy of the crime investigation process, thus also reducing the possibility of wrongful convictions.

(d) Guidelines for policies, procedures and training that may be considered and recommended by the task force include, but are not limited to:

(1) Use of blind administration of lineups;

(2) Specific instructions to be given to the eyewitness before and during the lineup to increase the accuracy of any identification, including that the purpose of the identification procedure is to exculpate the innocent as well as to identify the actual perpetrator;

(3) Number and selection of fillers to be in lineups;

(4) Use of sequential lineups versus nonsequential lineups;

(5) Inclusion of only one suspect in any lineup;

(6) Value of refraining from providing any confirmatory information to the eyewitness;

(7) Standards and protocols to be used in the administration and conduct of an identification procedure;

(8) Training, if any, should be made available to law enforcement personnel in the use of these procedures; and

(9) Taking a confidence statement from the person viewing the lineup.

(e) The task force shall submit a report on the guidelines developed and recommendations concerning their use. Minority reports may also be issued. These reports shall be presented to the governor, the chief justice of the Rhode Island supreme court, the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the chairpersons of the judiciary committees of both the house of representatives and the senate no later than January 1, 2011. The task force shall meet periodically thereafter in order to assess the impact of the recommendations made in the report; to conduct further research in the area of eyewitness identification; to specifically assess the use of sequential and simultaneous lineups by Rhode Island law enforcement agencies; and to consider whether, in light of that experience, the use of sequential lineups should be recommended as a best practice. Said meetings shall be called by agreement of the attorney general and public defender. A supplemental report from the task force shall be delivered in the same manner as its initial report and not later than April 30, 2012.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-12-1.9 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-12 / Section 12-12-1.9
§ 12-12-1.9. Determining whether probable cause exists.
Status: in_force

After conducting the hearing the court shall determine from an examination of the information and exhibits appended to it, and in light of any evidence presented at the hearing, whether there exists probable cause to believe that the offense charged has been committed and that defendant committed it. A finding of the existence of probable cause may be based in whole or in part upon hearsay evidence or on evidence which may ultimately be ruled to be inadmissible at the trial.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-22-1.1 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-22 / Section 12-22-1.1
§ 12-22-1.1. Review by supreme court  Violations.
Status: in_force

Every person aggrieved by the imposition of a fine by the district court upon the finding of a violation may, within twenty (20) days after entry of judgment imposing the fine, petition the supreme court of the state of Rhode Island for a writ of certiorari to review any errors involved. The petition for a writ of certiorari shall set forth the errors claimed. Upon the filing of a petition with the clerk of the supreme court, the supreme court may, if it sees fit, issue its writ of certiorari to the district court to certify to the supreme court the record of the proceedings in the case together with any transcript of the proceedings furnished by the petitioner at his expense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-33 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-33
§ 12-21-33. Suspension of operators license for failure to pay costs, fines, fees, or assessments.
Status: in_force

A judge of the superior or district court or the traffic tribunal may order the suspension of a persons license issued pursuant to chapter 10 of title 31 if the person fails to pay court ordered costs, fines, fees, restitution or assessments within the time period provided for in an order of the court. The judge may order the suspension to be effective until the person complies with the court order.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-13 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-13
§ 12-21-13. Accounting by clerk on vacation of office.
Status: in_force

Whenever the clerk shall vacate his or her office he or she shall render account and pay over any money which may be due from him or her as clerk to the city or town within ten (10) days after vacating the office.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-19-32 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-19 / Section 12-19-32
§ 12-19-32. Restitution.
Status: in_force

In addition to or in lieu of any non-mandatory sanction imposed as part of a sentence or as a condition of probation, a judge at the time of sentencing may order restitution which may be in the form of monetary payment or some type of community restitution. Provided, that any person sentenced to a period of incarceration at the adult correctional institutions shall be ineligible to participate in those programs established pursuant to chapter 8 of title 13, § 42-56-20.2, 42-56-20.3 or 42-56-21, unless and until the restitution has been paid in full, or satisfactory arrangements have been made with the court if the person has the ability to pay. Any agreement shall be in writing and it shall be the burden of the person seeking to participate in any of the programs to satisfy the appropriate authority of compliance. Any person subject to the provisions of this chapter may request an ability to pay hearing by filing the request with the court which imposed the original sentence.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-19-10 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-19 / Section 12-19-10
§ 12-19-10. Suspension of imprisonment already commenced.
Status: in_force

Imprisonment pursuant to a sentence, once commenced, shall not be subject to suspension by the superior court.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-14-6 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-14 / Section 12-14-6
§ 12-14-6. Violations of Warwick ordinances.
Status: in_force

The city of Warwick is authorized and empowered to fix any fines that the police commission of the city of Warwick may, from time to time, establish for violation of traffic ordinances. The police department shall collect the fines as provided in this section, when the offender decides to dispose of the charge without personal appearance in court within seven (7) days from notification. The police department is authorized to receive fines directly from any person charged with a violation of any provision of the ordinance of the city relating to traffic, and the money so received and collected shall be turned over by the police to the city treasurer. All charges, records, and payments shall be immediately entered by the police, and the books of the police containing the records of the violations, their dispositions, and money received as fines, shall be audited not less than once every three (3) months by the city auditor of the city. In the event the offender refuses or neglects to dispose of the charges within seven (7) days, then he or she shall be brought before the district court for the third division for trial and for any disposition of the case that the court may decide to be proper, in which case the provisions of § 12-14-1, relating to fines and their disposition, shall prevail.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-17-8 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-17 / Section 12-17-8
§ 12-17-8. Compulsory process for defense witnesses.
Status: in_force

Compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in favor of any person indicted or charged by information shall issue out of any court before which the person shall be brought for trial, upon a satisfactory showing that he or she is unable to procure witnesses at his or her own expense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-5-3.17 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-5 / Section 12-5-3.17
§ 12-5-3.17. Complaint for issuance of search warrant  Town of North Kingstown.
Status: in_force

In addition to those persons specified in § 12-5-3(a), detectives, and any rank above, in the town of North Kingstown police department are hereby authorized to sign written complaints, under oath, for the issuance of search warrants.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-12-3 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-12 / Section 12-12-3
§ 12-12-3. Formal defects in process not ground for abatement or quashing.
Status: in_force

No indictment, information, complaint or criminal process shall be abated or quashed for any want of form, or because it omits to allege that the offense was committed or the act was done feloniously, burglariously, willfully, maliciously, or with malice aforethought, unlawfully, negligently, or with force and arms, or because it omits to characterize similarly the manner of the commission of the offense, or because it omits to allege the means by which the offense was committed or omits to allege the time and place of the commission of the offense, unless the description, characterization, means, time, or place is an essential element of the offense; provided, that it contains such allegation of the offense that the accused is informed of the nature and cause of the accusation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-12-20 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-12 / Section 12-12-20
§ 12-12-20. Original and duplicates of charges to be filed.
Status: in_force

In each and every criminal prosecution the original and duplicate of all complaints, warrants, informations, and/or indictments shall be filed with the appropriate court.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-3-9 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-3 / Section 12-3-9
§ 12-3-9. Possession of property stolen outside state.
Status: in_force

Whenever any property has been taken or obtained in any other state or area within the jurisdiction of the United States by robbery, stealing, embezzlement, fraudulent conversion, or false pretenses with the intent to cheat and defraud, and the property is brought into this state by any person who knew it was so taken or obtained, that person shall be deemed guilty of the offense described in § 11-41-2, and the offense may be alleged to have been committed in any county or in any division of the district court in which the person is found in possession of the property, or through which the person may have transported the property. The person may be prosecuted and proceeded against in the superior court at any location that may by order be designated by the presiding justice or in the division of the district court in which the offense is alleged to have been committed or in any division that may be ordered by the chief judge pursuant to § 12-3-4(c).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-28-5.1 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-28 / Section 12-28-5.1
§ 12-28-5.1. Restitution.
Status: in_force

When the court orders a defendant to make financial restitution to the victim of a crime of which the defendant has been convicted or to which the defendant has pleaded guilty or nolo contendere, a civil judgment shall automatically be entered by the trial court against the defendant on behalf of the victim for that amount. If payment is not made by the defendant within the period set by the court, the civil judgment for the amount of the restitution ordered, plus interest at the statutory amount from the date of the offense, plus costs of suit, including reasonable attorneys fees, shall be enforceable by any and all means presently available in law for the collection of delinquent judgments in civil cases generally. Any initial filing fees and service of process costs associated with enforcing a civil judgement pursuant to this section shall be waived. Subsequent filing fees and service of process costs may be waived at the discretion of the court.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-16 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-16
§ 12-21-16. Payment of amounts due to the state.
Status: in_force

All fines and all penalties and forfeitures to the use of the state shall be paid over to the general treasurer, unless otherwise specially provided.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-12 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-12
§ 12-21-12. Payment of costs taxable to cities or towns out of fines due.
Status: in_force

All costs taxed by courts in criminal prosecutions, which by law any city or town is or may be required to pay, may be paid by the clerk to the several persons entitled to them, out of fines in his or her hands belonging to the city or town; provided, that fines received by the clerk which are by law to be applied to the support of the public schools shall not be used in the payment of these costs.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-15-1 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-15 / Section 12-15-1
§ 12-15-1. Office created.
Status: in_force

There is created the office of public defender.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-9-4 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-9 / Section 12-9-4
§ 12-9-4. Form of demand from another state.
Status: in_force

No demand for the extradition of a person charged with a crime in another state shall be recognized by the governor unless in writing alleging, except in cases arising under §§ 12-9-7 and 12-9-8, that the accused was present in the demanding state at the time of the commission of the alleged crime, and that after the commission of the alleged crime he or she fled from the state, and accompanied by a copy of an indictment found or by information supported by affidavit in the state having jurisdiction of the crime, or by a copy of an affidavit made before a judge there, together with a copy of any warrant which was issued, upon the indictment or information, or by a copy of a judgment of conviction or of a sentence imposed in execution of the judgment, together with a statement by the executive authority of the demanding state that the person claimed has escaped from confinement or has broken the terms of his or her bail, probation, or parole. The indictment, information, or affidavit made before the judge must substantially charge the person demanded with having committed a crime under the law of that state, and the copy of indictment, information, affidavit, judgment of conviction, or sentence must be authenticated by the executive authority making the demand.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-15-8 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-15 / Section 12-15-8
§ 12-15-8. Indigent defendants defined.
Status: in_force

For the purpose of assisting the public defender or his or her assistants to carry out their duties under this chapter, indigent defendant, when used in connection with representation and action as attorney by the public defender or one of his or her assistants in cases before the courts under this chapter, includes a person who after payment of necessary expenses for food, shelter and medical care, does not have sufficient income or assets to enable him or her to retain counsel nor is there any one to whom he or she is entitled to look for support who has that income or assets.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-19-35 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-19 / Section 12-19-35
§ 12-19-35. Evidence of damages sustained.
Status: in_force

Evidence of damages sustained by the person injured may be admissible to the court either by means of an affidavit, signed by the injured person, with copies of appropriate receipts attached, or by hearing, the option being within the discretion of the court.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-14-1 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-14 / Section 12-14-1
§ 12-14-1. Payment of fines for ordinance violations to clerk of district court.
Status: in_force

The town council of any town or the legislative body of any city, except the cities of Providence, Newport, Central Falls, Cranston, and Warwick and the towns of Bristol, Charlestown, Johnston, Narragansett, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Warren, Westerly, and North Providence may by ordinance provide that whenever a person shall be charged with a violation of a provision of any of its ordinances relating to traffic, the jurisdiction and cognizances of violations of which ordinance is in the district court, and the person is notified in writing by a police officer to appear on a day and hour stated in the notice to answer the charge before a division of the district court having jurisdiction, the person, instead of personally appearing in court, may, in person or by one duly authorized by him or her in writing, appear before the clerk of the division of the district court having jurisdiction, admit the truth of the charge and pay to the clerk any fine that the court may from time to time, by standing order or rule establish or as may be fixed by the ordinance enacted under this section as the fixed penalty for those violations, not to exceed in any case the maximum fine imposed by law; provided, that appearance, admission, and payment is made at the office of the clerk during the office hours of the clerk within seven (7) days of the notification, and failure to appear within that time shall be deemed a waiver of the right to dispose of the charge without personal appearance in court. The payment of the fine to the clerk in the manner provided in this section shall operate as a final disposition of the charge and the proceedings shall not be deemed criminal. The notice shall indicate the offense charged and shall also contain any information that will enable the person charged to take advantage of the provisions of the ordinance enacted under this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-25 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-25
§ 12-21-25. Issuance of warrant to take and detain forfeited property.
Status: in_force

Upon making a complaint or filing an information for a forfeiture, a warrant shall be issued to the proper officer, requiring him or her to take the property into his or her custody and to detain it until legally disposed of.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-7-8 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-7 / Section 12-7-8
§ 12-7-8. Restraint and force used.
Status: in_force

No greater restraint than is necessary shall be used for the detention of any person, and no unnecessary or unreasonable force shall be used in making an arrest.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-20-4 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-20 / Section 12-20-4
§ 12-20-4. Sheriffs fees on scire facias.
Status: in_force

The fees chargeable by deputy sheriffs for serving writs and executions in scire facias against bail in criminal cases shall be the same as provided for similar service of writs and executions in civil cases.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-6-1 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-6 / Section 12-6-1
§ 12-6-1. Examination on complaint of commission of offense.
Status: in_force

Whenever any complaint shall be made to any judge of the district court, or to any justice of the peace authorized to issue warrants within a division of the district court, of the commission of any offense within the division, he or she shall examine the complainant under oath or affirmation and require the complainants statements to be reduced to writing and be subscribed and sworn to by the person or persons making them.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-1-11 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-1 / Section 12-1-11
§ 12-1-11. Photographs and descriptive information as to persons convicted.
Status: in_force

In the case of every offense for which an indictment has been found or an information filed and in which the offender has been found guilty and sentenced, or has pleaded guilty or nolo contendere, the attorney general shall cause to be taken: (1) a photograph, (2) the name, age, weight, height, and a general description of the offender, and (3) his or her fingerprints in accordance with the fingerprint system of identification of criminals and a history of the offender as shown upon trial. In the case of all offenses triable in the superior court for the counties of Providence and Bristol, the attorney general shall cause the fingerprints, photograph, and other information to be taken by his or her department, and in the case of all offenses triable in any other county he or she may make any arrangements for the taking of fingerprints, photographs, and information that may to him or her seem most desirable. In the case of offenses other than those that are indictable, for which an offender is committed under a sentence of imprisonment for a period of six (6) months or more, the warden or keeper of a place of detention or penal institution other than institutions designed primarily for the detention of juveniles, to which an offender is committed, shall cause to be taken, unless the court otherwise orders, a like description, photograph, fingerprints, and history of the person. The description, photographs, fingerprints, and history shall be taken by persons in the service of the state appointed by the attorney general for that purpose. All descriptions, photographs, fingerprints, and identifying matter shall be immediately transmitted to the attorney general.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-29-6.1 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-29 / Section 12-29-6.1
§ 12-29-6.1. Creation of domestic violence training and monitoring unit.
Status: in_force

There is created the domestic violence training and monitoring unit, which shall be administered under the direction of the state court administrator.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-2-5 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-2 / Section 12-2-5
§ 12-2-5. Powers of steamboat police.
Status: in_force

Steamboat police officers shall have similar powers upon the vessels and boats of the carriers upon whose petition they were appointed, and upon the premises and at the wharves and landing places owned or used by the carrier, to those given by §§ 12-2-3 and 12-2-4 to railroad police officers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-17-14 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-17 / Section 12-17-14
§ 12-17-14. Conviction of lesser-included offense or attempt.
Status: in_force

Whenever any person is tried upon an indictment, information, or complaint and the court or jury, as the case may be, shall not be satisfied that he or she is guilty of the whole offense, but shall be satisfied that he or she is guilty of so much of the offense as shall substantially amount to an offense of a lower nature, or that the defendant did not complete the offense charged, but that he or she was guilty only of an attempt to commit the same offense, the court or jury may find him or her guilty of the lower offense or guilty of an attempt to commit the offense, as the case may be, and the court shall proceed to sentence the person for the offense of which he or she shall be so found guilty, notwithstanding that the court had not otherwise jurisdiction of the offense.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-27-5 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-27 / Section 12-27-5
§ 12-27-5. Parties to hearing.
Status: in_force

On or before the return date specified in the order of notice issued pursuant to § 12-27-3, the author, publisher, and any person interested in the sale, exhibition, or commercial distribution of the book, print, picture, film, motion picture film, magazine, pamphlet, ballad, printed paper, written material, photograph, figment, or other material may appear and file an answer. The court shall by order permit any other person or persons, not to exceed five (5), to appear and file answers as amicus curiae. In the absence of any other answer having been filed in the court, amicus curiae may participate in hearings thereafter as a party or parties.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-14-14 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-14 / Section 12-14-14
§ 12-14-14. Violations of parking regulations in the town of Portsmouth.
Status: in_force

The town of Portsmouth is authorized and empowered to fix any fines that the Portsmouth town council may, from time to time, establish for violation of any provision of the ordinances relating to parking. The town council may designate the police department for the purpose of collecting the fines as provided in this section, when the offender desires to dispose of the charge without personal appearance in court, within seven (7) days from notification. The police department is authorized to receive the fines, directly or by mail, from any person charged with violation of any provision of the ordinances of the town relating to traffic, and the money so received and collected shall be turned over by the police to the town treasurer of Portsmouth. All charges, records, and payments shall be immediately entered by the police in their books containing records of violations and their disposition, and money received as fines shall be audited not less than once every three (3) months by the town finance directors office of the town. In the event the offender refuses or neglects to dispose of the charges within seven (7) days, then he or she shall be brought before the district court of the state of Rhode Island, second division, for trial and for any disposition of the case that the court may decide to be proper, in which case the provisions of § 12-14-1, relating to fines and their disposition, shall prevail.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-14-2 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-14 / Section 12-14-2
§ 12-14-2. Violation of parking regulations in the city of Newport.
Status: in_force

The city of Newport is authorized and empowered to fix any fines that the Newport city council may, from time to time, establish for violation of traffic ordinances. The city council may designate the police department for the purpose of collecting any fines, when the offender desires to dispose of the charge without personal appearance in court within seven (7) days from notification of the fine. The police department is authorized to receive the fines, directly or by mail, from any person charged with violation of any provision of the ordinances of the city relating to traffic, and the money so received and collected shall be turned over by the police to the director of finance of the city. All charges, records and payments shall be immediately entered by the police in their books, containing records of the violations, their disposition, and money received as fines shall be audited not less than once every three (3) months by the finance director of the city. In the event the offender refuses or neglects to dispose of the charges within seven (7) days, then he or she shall be brought before the district court of the state of Rhode Island, second division, for trial and for any disposition of the case that the court may decide to be proper, in which case, the provisions of § 12-14-1, relating to fines and their disposition, shall prevail.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-27 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-27
§ 12-21-27. Sale of property pending judgment on forfeiture.
Status: in_force

If any person shall appear and claim the property, it may be sold, by consent of parties, provided it is of such nature that it may be lawfully sold and used, and the law does not require it to be destroyed or otherwise in some special manner disposed of, or under like provision it may in any case be sold, if of a perishable, wasting, or expensive character to keep, in like manner as is provided for the sale of similar property when attached on civil process, in which case the proceeds of the sale, after deducting the charges of the sale, shall for all purposes represent the thing sold and be subject to the judgment and order of the court.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-12-2 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-12 / Section 12-12-2
§ 12-12-2. Process in fictitious name or by description.
Status: in_force

In case the name of the person to be proceeded against is unknown, the indictment, information, complaint, warrant, or other criminal process may be found or issued against him or her by a fictitious name or by any description that the prosecutor or complainant may select, and the error or defect may be afterwards amended by the court.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-7-7 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-7 / Section 12-7-7
§ 12-7-7. Methods of arrest.
Status: in_force

An arrest is made by the restraint of the person to be arrested or by his or her submission of his or her person to the custody of the person making the arrest.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-6-4 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-6 / Section 12-6-4
§ 12-6-4. Issuance of warrant.
Status: in_force

Upon the giving of a recognizance with surety, in the case where surety is required, and upon the giving of a recognizance without surety, where no surety is required, and upon the making of a complaint only where no recognizance is required, the judge or justice of the peace, if in his or her opinion there is probable cause to believe that an offense has been committed and that defendant has committed it, shall immediately issue his or her warrant.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-9-25 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-9 / Section 12-9-25
§ 12-9-25. Warrant to return prisoner from another state.
Status: in_force

Whenever the governor of this state shall demand a person charged with crime or with escaping from confinement or breaking the terms of his or her bail, probation, or parole in this state, from the executive authority of any other state, or from the chief justice or an associate justice of the supreme court of the District of Columbia authorized to receive a demand under the laws of the United States, he or she shall issue a warrant under the seal of this state to some agent, commanding the agent to receive the person so charged if delivered to him or her and convey the person to the proper officer of the county in this state in which the offense was committed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-10 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-10
§ 12-21-10. Disposition of recoveries.
Status: in_force

Unless otherwise specially provided:

(1) All fines recovered shall be to the use of the state;

(2) All penalties and pecuniary forfeitures, one-half (Â½) to the use of the state and one-half (Â½) to the use of the person who shall sue for it; and

(3) All forfeitures of personal property shall be disposed of as provided by law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-22-14 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-22 / Section 12-22-14
§ 12-22-14. Refund of fine and costs.
Status: in_force

The superior court, in any criminal case appealed to that court in which the defendant paid his or her fine and costs in the lower court, may, upon application made within three (3) years after a finding of not guilty or the deferring or suspension of sentence, order the amount of the fine and costs to be refunded to the defendant, and in that case the clerk of the superior court shall submit a properly authenticated voucher to the state controller who is authorized and directed to draw his or her order upon the general treasurer for the payment of that sum. The general assembly shall annually appropriate any sum that it shall deem necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-9-7 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-9 / Section 12-9-7
§ 12-9-7. Surrender of person who left demanding state involuntarily.
Status: in_force

The governor of this state may also surrender on demand of the executive authority of any other state any person in this state who is charged in the manner provided in § 12-9-4 with having violated the laws of the state whose executive authority is making the demand, even though the person left the demanding state involuntarily.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-19-17 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-19 / Section 12-19-17
§ 12-19-17. Powers of district court additional.
Status: in_force

The power and authority by §§ 12-19-13  12-19-16 vested in the district courts shall be deemed additional power and authority and shall not be deemed in substitution or derogation of any other power and authority previously vested in the district courts.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-23-8 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-23 / Section 12-23-8
§ 12-23-8. Expenses of commission  Printing.
Status: in_force

The members of the commission shall not receive any pay for their services under the provisions of this chapter, but the general assembly shall from time to time appropriate any sums that may be necessary for clerical assistance and other actual expenses incurred by the members of the commission in the performance of their duties. All printing required by the commission, including the printing of its reports to the general assembly, shall be paid out of the appropriation for state printing upon vouchers approved by the chairperson of the commission and the state purchasing agent.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-25-31 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-25 / Section 12-25-31
§ 12-25-31. Severability.
Status: in_force

If any provision to this chapter or its application to any person or circumstances is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this chapter, which can be given effect without the invalid provisions or application, and to this end the provisions of this chapter are declared to be severable.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-17-6 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-17 / Section 12-17-6
§ 12-17-6. Control and disposition of property used as evidence.
Status: in_force

All property, money, or estate taken or detained as evidence in any criminal cause shall be subject to the order of the court before which the indictment, information, or complaint shall be brought or pending, and shall, at the termination of the cause, be restored to the rightful owner.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-23-7 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-23 / Section 12-23-7
§ 12-23-7. Annual report to general assembly.
Status: in_force

The commission shall annually make a report to the general assembly of the results of its study and survey, together with any recommendations for changes in the laws and in the duties, methods, practices, and procedure of officers and other agencies that it may deem advisable or necessary to carry out the purpose of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-19-5 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-19 / Section 12-19-5
§ 12-19-5. Imprisonment to commence at expiration of previous term of imprisonment.
Status: in_force

Whenever any person shall be convicted of any offense punishable by imprisonment, that person being at the time under sentence of imprisonment on a former conviction, the court passing the subsequent sentence may sentence the person to the term of imprisonment provided by law to commence at the expiration of the term of imprisonment under the former sentence or sentences.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-13-7 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-13 / Section 12-13-7
§ 12-13-7. Right to prompt trial on indictment or information for serious crime.
Status: in_force

Every person who shall be indicted for or charged by information with an offense for which bail may be denied pursuant to the provisions of R.I. Const., Art. I, Sec. IX, and shall be imprisoned under the indictment or information, shall be tried or bailed within six (6) months next after the time at which he or she shall plead to the indictment or information if he or she demands a trial, unless it shall appear to the court that some material witness in behalf of the state has been enticed away or is prevented from attending court by some unavoidable accident.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-28-13 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-28 / Section 12-28-13
§ 12-28-13. Victims economic security and safety.
Status: in_force

(a) Every employer in the state, with fifty (50) or more employees, shall allow an employee who is a victim of a crime to leave work to attend court proceedings related to the crime.

(b) An employer may not dismiss an employee who is a victim of a crime because the employee exercises the right to leave work pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.

(c) An employer is not required to compensate an employee who is a victim of a crime when the employee leaves work pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.

(d) If an employee leaves work pursuant to subsection (a) of this section the employee may elect to use or an employer may require the employee to use the employees accrued paid vacation, personal leave or sick leave.

(e) An employee who is a victim of a crime shall not lose seniority or precedence while absent from employment pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.

(f) Before an employee may leave work pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the employee shall provide the employer with a copy of notification of court proceedings provided pursuant to § 12-28-3.

(g) An employer may limit the leave provided under this section if the employees leave creates an undue hardship to the employers business.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-17-19 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-17 / Section 12-17-19
§ 12-17-19. Restrictions on the defense of self-defense.
Status: in_force

A person is not justified in using force against another based solely on the discovery of, knowledge about, or potential disclosure of the victims actual or perceived gender, gender identity, gender expression, or sexual orientation, including under circumstances in which the victim made an unwanted, non-forcible romantic or sexual advance toward the defendant, or if the defendant and victim dated or had a romantic or sexual relationship.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-6-7 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-6 / Section 12-6-7
§ 12-6-7. Warrants issued to other divisions.
Status: in_force

Whenever any judge of the district court, or any justice of the peace, shall issue his or her warrant against any person charged with an offense committed in a division of the district court, and the person so charged shall escape into, reside, or be in any other county than the one in which the division is, the judge or justice of the peace may direct his or her warrant to each and all deputy sheriffs, city or town sergeants, and town constables within the state, requiring them to apprehend the person and bring him or her before the division of the district court having jurisdiction of the offense, to be dealt with according to law; the officers shall obey and execute the warrant, and be protected from obstruction and assault in executing the warrant as in service of other process.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-13-8 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-13 / Section 12-13-8
§ 12-13-8. Qualifications of sureties.
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever in any criminal case a defendant is required to recognize with surety or sureties, each surety, other than an incorporated surety company duly authorized by law to give the recognizance, must be a resident or freeholder within this state, and must be the owner of property of value to the amount expressed in the recognizance, over and above all incumbrances, but the justice or persons taking the recognizance may allow two (2) or more sureties to justify, provided they own in the aggregate property in value to the amount or sum for which the recognizance is given, over and above all incumbrances. The justice or person taking recognizance may require any surety offered to make affidavit or be examined orally under oath as to his or her qualifications as the surety.

(b) Bail affidavits required for the posting of surety bail shall be approved and signed by any clerk, authorized by the presiding justice for bail posted in the superior courts, and by any clerk authorized by the chief judge of the district court for bail posted in the district courts. Neither the attorney general, nor his or her designee shall be required to approve the affidavits.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-17-10 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-17 / Section 12-17-10
§ 12-17-10. Defendants spouse as witness.
Status: in_force

The husband or wife of any respondent in a criminal prosecution, offering himself or herself as a witness, shall not be excluded from testifying because he or she is the husband or wife of the respondent.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-28-12 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-28 / Section 12-28-12
§ 12-28-12. Severability.
Status: in_force

If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstances is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the chapter which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of the chapter are declared to be severable.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-28-10 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-28 / Section 12-28-10
§ 12-28-10. Victims of domestic abuse  Employment discrimination.
Status: in_force

(a) No employer, employment agency or licensing agency shall refuse to hire any applicant for employment, or discharge an employee or discriminate against him or her with respect to any matter related to employment, solely by reason of his or her seeking or obtaining a protective order pursuant to chapter 15 of title 15 or chapter 8.1 of title 8 or refusing to seek or obtain a protective order.

(b) In any civil action alleging a violation of this chapter, the court may:

(1) Award to a prevailing applicant or employee actual damages, and reasonable attorneys fees and costs, and, where the challenged conduct is shown to be motivated by malice or ill will, punitive damages; provided, punitive damages shall not be available against the state or its political subdivisions; and

(2) Afford injunctive relief against any employer, employment agency or licensing agency who commits or proposes to commit a violation of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-16-3 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-16 / Section 12-16-3
§ 12-16-3. Certification by foreign judge as to witness from this state.
Status: in_force

If a judge of a court of record in any state, which by its laws has made provision for commanding persons within that state to attend and testify in this state, certifies under the seal of the court: (1) that there is a criminal prosecution pending in the court or that a grand jury investigation has commenced or is about to commence, (2) that a person being within this state is a material witness in the prosecution or grand jury investigation, and (3) that the persons presence will be required for a specified number of days, upon presentation of the certificate to any judge of a court of record in the county in which the person is, the judge shall fix a time and place for a hearing, and shall make an order directing the witness to appear at a certain time and place for the hearing.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-12-10 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-12 / Section 12-12-10
§ 12-12-10. Variances of proof and immaterial mistakes.
Status: in_force

A defendant shall not be acquitted or discharged on the ground of variance between the allegation and proof if the essential elements of the crime are correctly stated in the indictment, information, or complaint, unless the defendant is prejudiced in his or her defense by the variance. The defendant shall not be acquitted or discharged by reason of an immaterial misnomer of a third party, by reason of an immaterial mistake in the description of the property or its ownership, by reason of failure to prove unnecessary allegations in the description of the crime, or by reason of any other immaterial mistake in the indictment, information, or complaint.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-17-9 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-17 / Section 12-17-9
§ 12-17-9. Defendant as witness.
Status: in_force

No respondent in a criminal prosecution, offering himself or herself as a witness, shall be excluded from testifying because he or she is a respondent; and neglect or refusal so to testify shall create no presumption nor be used in argument against him or her.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-9 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-9
§ 12-21-9. Commitment for failure to obey judgment or sentence.
Status: in_force

If any person against whom sentence is passed or judgment rendered, under any penal statute, shall refuse or neglect to perform the sentence or to pay the judgment, he or she shall, by order of the court passing the sentence or by the officer charged with the execution issued on the judgment, be committed to the adult correctional institutions, and be imprisoned there until the sentence is performed or he or she is discharged by due course of law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-14-13 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-14 / Section 12-14-13
§ 12-14-13. Violations of parking regulations in the town of Burrillville.
Status: in_force

(a) The town of Burrillville is further authorized and empowered to fix any fines that the town council may, from time to time, establish for violation of its traffic ordinances. The town council may designate the police department for the purpose of collecting fines as provided in this section, when the offender decides to dispose of a charge without personal appearance in court within three (3) days from the date of notification.

(b) A person charged with the violation of any provision of the ordinances relating to parking ordained by the town council of the town of Burrillville and notified in writing by a police officer to appear on a day and hour stated in the notice to answer the charge before the district court for the seventh division instead of personally appearing in court may, in person or by one duly authorized by him or her in writing, appear at the Burrillville police station, admit the truth of the charge and pay the fine to the officer in charge of the police station; provided, that operators of cars registered out of the state may pay the fine by mailing the tag and the amount of the fine within three (3) days from the date of the violation, postage prepaid, addressed to the town clerk, town clerks office, Burrillville, Rhode Island; failure to appear and pay the fine or to mail the tag and the amount of the fine within three (3) days of the notice shall be deemed a waiver to dispose of the charge without personal appearance in court; and provided, further, that the appearance, admission, and payment is made to the clerk within three (3) days of notification, and failure to appear within that time shall be deemed a waiver of the right to appear and to dispose of the charge without personal appearance in court. The payment of the fine in the manner provided in this section shall operate as a final disposition of the charge and the proceedings shall not be deemed criminal. The notice provided pursuant to this section shall indicate the offense charged and shall also contain any information that will enable the person charged to take advantage of the provisions of this section. The right to dispose of a charge without personal appearance in court may not be exercised by any person who in any consecutive period of twelve (12) months next preceding the charge has been three (3) times in the aggregate adjudged guilty by the court, or has three (3) times admitted the truth of the charges made against him or her under the provisions of this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-28-5 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-28 / Section 12-28-5
§ 12-28-5. Civil judgment against defendant.
Status: in_force

(a) Upon his or her final conviction of a felony after a trial by jury, a civil judgment shall automatically be entered by the trial court against the defendant conclusively establishing his or her liability to the victim for any personal injury and/or loss of property that was sustained by the victim as a direct and proximate cause of the felonious conduct of which the defendant has been convicted. The court shall notify the victim at his or her last known address of the entry of the civil judgment in his or her favor and inform him or her that he or she must establish proof of damages in an appropriate judicial proceeding in order to recover for his or her injury or loss. This section shall not apply to crimes set forth in title 31 arising from the operation of a motor vehicle.

(b) For the purposes of this section, victim is one who has sustained personal injury or loss of property directly attributable to the felonious conduct of which the defendant has been convicted. In homicide cases, judgment shall enter for the benefit of those parties eligible to commence a wrongful death action pursuant to chapter 7 of title 10.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-7-19 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-7 / Section 12-7-19
§ 12-7-19. Arrest after close pursuit by officers from cities or towns.
Status: in_force

Any member of a duly organized municipal peace unit of another city or town of the state who enters any city or town in close pursuit and continues within any city or town in such close pursuit of a person in order to stop him or her for a suspected violation of any provision of the motor vehicle code committed in the other city or town, shall be vested with all of the same authority as a member of a duly organized municipal peace unit of the city or town.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-32-4 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-32 / Section 12-32-4
§ 12-32-4. Exceptions.
Status: in_force

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, an agent of the state, or any political subdivision of the state, may obtain location information from a service provider without obtaining a warrant under the following circumstances:

(1) In order to respond to the users call for emergency services;

(2) In order to respond to a call for emergency services, including a request from an E-911 supervisor to determine the location of a cellular telephone, when required pursuant to an emergency involving actual or potential death, serious physical injury, or major damage to property and the information is needed without delay;

(3) If an agent of the state, or any political subdivision of the state, believes that an emergency involving immediate danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires the obtaining of information relating to the emergency without delay, and/or pursuant to the Kelsey Smith Act, as codified in § 39-2-20;

(4) If the location information was generated by an electronic device used as a condition of release from a penal institution, as a condition of pre-trial release, probation, conditional discharge, parole, mandatory supervised release, or other sentencing order;

(5) With the express consent of the owner or user of the electronic communications device concerned;

(6) With the express, informed consent of the parent or foster parent of a minor who is the owner or user, or the legal guardian or next of kin of the owner or user, if the owner or user is believed to be deceased or reported missing and unable to be contacted;

(7) If the electronic device is reported lost or stolen by the owner or user of the electronic device; or

(8) If the government entity is the owner of the electronic device and has issued it to an employee or it is attached to property owned by the government entity.

(b) Not later than five (5) days after the date on which an agent of the state, or any political subdivision of the state, obtains access to records under this section, a governmental entity shall file with the appropriate court a signed, sworn statement of a supervisory official of a rank designated by the head of the governmental entity setting forth the grounds for the access to information in this section. Should the courts not be open upon the expiration of the five (5) days, the statement shall be filed the next day the court is open to receive such statement.

(c) When location information is sought pursuant to this chapter, and unless otherwise permitted by a warrant, any acquisition of information shall immediately terminate when the location information sought is obtained.

(d) In the event an application for a warrant is denied, or in any other case where the interception is made or terminated without a warrant having been issued where required by this chapter, notice shall be served to all owners or known users of electronic devices about which location information was acquired in violation of this chapter.

(e) The notice required by § 12-32-3 shall also be provided when location information is obtained pursuant to subdivisions (a)(2) or (a)(3).

(f) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit law enforcement from obtaining, without a court order, location information when the information, including metadata attached to images and video, is otherwise publicly available on a social networking website.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-12-18 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-12 / Section 12-12-18
§ 12-12-18. Period of limitations extended by theft, loss or destruction of indictment or information.
Status: in_force

If any indictment found or information filed within the time limited in and by this chapter shall be stolen, lost, or destroyed before a judgment shall have been rendered, a new indictment may be found or information filed for the same offense at any time within one year after the theft, loss or destruction of the original indictment or information.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-29-8.1 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-29 / Section 12-29-8.1
§ 12-29-8.1. Restraining order no-contact order system (R.O.N.C.O.).
Status: in_force

(a) All domestic violence and sexual assault protective orders must be filed in the R.O.N.C.O. system at the attorney generals bureau of criminal identification (B.C.I.) unit.

(b)(1) All protective orders filed against individuals aged eighteen (18) years and over and issued by the district court, superior court, family court, or bail commissioners must be filed upon issuance by faxing or delivering the orders to the B.C.I. unit, either electronically or in hard copy, no later than the end of the day of issuance. Orders shall include the following: the terms of the order; the date of issuance; the date of the second hearing (if any); the dates of birth of the parties; and the date of expiration.

(2) All modifications and terminations of the orders must also be faxed or delivered to the B.C.I. unit, either electronically or in hard copy, no later than the end of the day of the modification. Any protective order issued pursuant to chapter 15 of title 15, chapter 8.1 of title 8, and chapter 5 of title 15 that is terminated or expires for any reason, and any no-contact order issued by any superior court, district court, or family court that is removed, rescinded, or expired for any reason shall be expunged within thirty (30) days from the R.O.N.C.O. system and the prior existence of the protective order or no-contact order shall not be disclosed except by court order.

(c) A person entitled to protection under an existing protection order shall, upon request, be given a certified copy of the order by the court clerk. The attorney generals B.C.I. unit shall accept the certified copy and enter that copy into the R.O.N.C.O. system.

(d) For purposes of this section, protective orders includes all family, district, and superior court restraining orders issued against individuals aged eighteen (18) years and over, as well as district and superior court no-contact orders issued against individuals aged eighteen (18) years and over.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-13-11 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-13 / Section 12-13-11
§ 12-13-11. New or additional recognizance.
Status: in_force

Whenever in any criminal case a defendant is required to recognize with surety or sureties, or has given a recognizance in the case, any justice of the district court, when the complaint is pending in the court or the person is held to answer to the court, or any justice of the superior court, may, on motion of the attorney general, require the defendant to be brought before the justice to show cause why he or she should not be required to give a new recognizance with surety or sureties in place of the one already required or given, and the justice in his or her discretion, if good cause is shown, may require the defendant to give in place of the recognizance already given or required a new recognizance in the same sum as that originally required or given with other and sufficient surety or sureties, or to give a new recognizance with surety or sureties in a different sum than that originally required or given, as to the justice may seem reasonable, to do and to perform the conditions of the recognizance already given or required. In case the defendant shall fail to give the new recognizance required of him or her, the defendant shall immediately be committed to the penal institution to which he or she would have been committed if he or she had failed to give the recognizance originally required there to remain until he or she shall give the new recognizance as required of him or her before some justice or person authorized to take it, or until he or she shall be discharged pursuant to law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-1-14 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-1 / Section 12-1-14
§ 12-1-14. Body attachment  Nonsupport of children.
Status: in_force

(a) Any body attachment issued by the family court in a case involving the bureau of family support relating to the nonsupport of children shall be entered into the state and police telecommunications system known as the Rhode Island Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, RILETS. The family court shall be responsible for transmitting all body attachments and cancellations of them to the attorney generals bureau of criminal identification for distributing the body attachment information into RILETS. Within the body attachment, the information entered in RILETS shall include date of birth and social security number when available. The family court shall be responsible for transmitting information regarding all body attachments and cancellations to the attorney generals bureau of criminal identification for entering the body attachment information into RILETS. The family court shall transmit the original body attachment to the attorney generals bureau of criminal identification.

(b) Any peace officer as defined in § 12-7-21 or certified constable authorized pursuant to § 9-5-10.1 shall have the authority to execute a body attachment as issued by the family court pursuant to § 8-10-3.1.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-19-33 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-19 / Section 12-19-33
§ 12-19-33. Restitution  Family court.
Status: in_force

(a) In addition to the powers already vested in the family court, a justice may order restitution which may be in the form of monetary payment or some type of community restitution.

(b) The parent or parents of any unemancipated minor or minors, which minor or minors willfully or maliciously cause damage to any property or injury to any person, shall be jointly and severally liable with the minor or minors for the damage or injury to an amount not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000) if the minor or minors would have been liable for the damage or injury if they had been adults; and if a justice of the family court so finds, he or she may order the parent or parents to make financial restitution not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-21-30 — RI Code / Title 12 / Chapter 12-21 / Section 12-21-30
§ 12-21-30. Appeal from district court judgment of forfeiture.
Status: in_force

An appeal may be claimed by either party from any judgment of forfeiture rendered by the district court, to be taken in like manner as by defendants in criminal cases within the jurisdiction of the district court to try and determine, to the superior court for the same county in which the division of the district court rendering judgment is situated and like proceedings may be had as in cases of informations for forfeitures originally filed in the court.