Source: https://advocatefortheconvictedfelon.com/2019/10/
Timestamp: 2019-11-19 14:08:52
Document Index: 252836623

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1', '§ 17', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 2', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 3', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 12', '§ 5', '§ 5', '§ 13', '§ 13', '§ 13', '§ 13', '§ 13', '§ 28', '§ 1', '§ 12']

October 2019 – Advocate for the Convicted Felon
Author wisenyc80Posted on October 10, 2019 Categories Community AwarenessLeave a comment on Restoration of Rights/South Carolina
Rhode Island Constitution provides that “No person who is incarcerated in a correctional facility upon a felony conviction shall be permitted to vote until such person is discharged from the facility. Upon discharge, such person’s right to vote shall be restored.” R.I. Const. art. II, § 1.1 The department of corrections acts as a voter registration agency with certain duties as part of the release from prison. See R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-9.2-3.
B. Jury & public office
Rhode Island law provides for three distinct types of expungement pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-1.3-2: 1) “first offenders,” defined as those with a single felony or misdemeanor conviction; 2) those with between two and six misdemeanor convictions; and 3) those who successfully completed deferred sentences. It also provides additional authority for expunging other deferred dispositions as well as decriminalized offenses, and for sealing non-conviction and juvenile records. Sealing and expungement have been held to be functionally identical. State v. Faria, 947 A.2d 863, 866, n.3 (R.I. 2008).
1. First offenders and misdemeanants
First offenders may petition for expungement of the record of conviction after 10 arrest-free years (for felonies) or 5 arrest-free years (for misdemeanors). R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-1.3-3(a), (c), (d). Waiting periods begin upon completion of sentence. Id. “First offender” is defined as “a person who has been convicted of a felony offense or a misdemeanor offense, and who has not been previously convicted of or placed on probation for a felony or a misdemeanor and against whom there is no criminal proceeding pending in any court.” § 12-1.3-1(3). First offender expungement is unavailable to persons convicted of specified serious violent offenses. § 12-1.3-2; § 12-1.3-1(1). In addition, all outstanding court-imposed fees, fines, and any other monetary obligations must have been paid, unless waived by order of the court.
In September of 2017, expungement eligibility was expanded to include individuals with between 2 and 6 misdemeanor convictions, who may petition to expunge those convictions after 10 arrest-free years. §§ 12-1.3-2(b), (f); 12-1.3-3(b)(iii) (added by H-5205 (2017)). Individuals convicted of a felony at any time are ineligible under this new provision, as are those with pending charges. §§ 12-1.3-2(b); 12-1.3-3(b)(iii). Domestic violence and DUI convictions may not be expunged under this new provision. § 12-1.3-2(b). The new provision applies retroactively to convictions that predate its enactment. H-5205, § 2 (2017).
Petitioner must give notice to Attorney General and prosecutor at least 10 days prior to hearing date. R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-1.3-3(a). After hearing, court may in its discretion order expungement if it finds that “there are no criminal proceedings pending against the person, and he or she has exhibited good moral character” and that “the petitioner’s rehabilitation has been attained to the court’s satisfaction and the expungement of the records of his or her conviction is consistent with the public interest.” § 12-1.3-3(b). If the court grants the motion, it shall order all records and records of conviction relating to the conviction expunged and all index and other references to it deleted. § 12-1.3-3(c). A copy of the order of the court shall be sent to any law enforcement agency and other agency known by either the petitioner, the department of the attorney general, or the court to have possession of the records. Compliance with the order shall be according to the terms specified by the court. Id.
“Expungement of records” is defined as “the sealing and retention of all records of a conviction and/or probation and the removal from active files of all records and information relating to conviction and/or probation.” § 12-1.3-1(2). Expungement releases recipient “from all penalties and disabilities resulting from the crime,” except that it may serve as a predicate offense, for sentencing purposes, in a subsequent prosecution. § 12-1.3-4(a). Generally, expungement relieves legal disabilities (including firearms disabilities). See § 12-1.3-4. A person whose conviction has been expunged “may state that he or she has never been convicted of the crime” in “any application for employment, license, or other civil right or privilege, or any appearance as a witness,” except that conviction must be disclosed in applications for certain jobs and licenses involving teaching, early childhood education, law enforcement, coaching, and the practice of law. § 12-1.3-4(b). Expunged records also remain available to entities charged with hiring and licensing in those specific areas. § 12-1.3-4(c), (d). Unauthorized disclosure may lead to civil liability. § 12-1.3-4(d).
2. Nolo plea followed by probation
Pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-18-3, a person who pleads nolo contendere and is placed on probation without judgment will have no conviction if probation is successfully completed, and sealing is available on same basis as other non-conviction records under § 12-1-12.1(a). Evidence of the nolo plea may not be introduced in any court proceeding, except that it may be provided a court in a subsequent criminal proceeding. Where the offense constitutes a crime of violence, the plea shall be deemed a conviction for purposes of purchasing a firearm, § 12-18-3(c).
3. Deferred sentences (deferred adjudication)
Effective in 2016, expungement may be sought immediately upon completion of deferred sentencing under R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 12-19-19(c); 12-1.3-2(d) (enacted by HB-7025, (2016), subsequently renumbered as (e)). Expungement is discretionary and may be granted only if “the court finds that the person has complied with all of the terms and conditions of the deferral agreement including, but not limited to, the payment in full of any court-ordered fines, fees, costs, assessments, and restitution to victims of crimes; there are no criminal proceedings pending against the person; and he or she has established good moral character.” § 12-1.3-3(b)(ii). Specified serious violent offenses are ineligible. Id.; § 12-1.3-1. This expungement authority applies to all deferred sentencing agreements, whether completed before or after the enactment of the 2016 law. HB-7025, § 3 (2016).
4. Expungement of other deferred dispositions
A post-plea disposition pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-10-12 (“Filing of Complaints”) results in the automatic destruction of the complaint after one year of good behavior (no arrests during this year and compliance with all imposed conditions of the “filing”). Conditions of a filing may include restitution totaling less than two hundred dollars, community service, and other conditions determined by the court. There is a three-year waiting period for the destruction of filed domestic violence cases.
5. Expungement of decriminalized offenses
Effective July 2, 2018, a new authority allows a person to file a motion for the expungement of records “related to an offense that has been decriminalized subsequent to the date of their conviction.” Id. § 12-1.3-2(g); S 2447; H 8355. The court in which the conviction took place must hold a hearing and may require the person to demonstrate that the prior criminal conviction is decriminalized under current law. Id. § 12-1.3-3(e). If the court finds that all conditions of the sentence have been completed, and any related fines, fees, and costs have been paid, the court shall order the expungement without cost to the petitioner. Id.
6. Sealing of nonconviction records
R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-1-12.1(a): “Any person who is acquitted or otherwise exonerated of all counts in a criminal case, including, but not limited to, dismissal or filing of a no true bill or no information, may file a motion for the sealing of his or her court records in the case, provided, that no person who has been convicted of a felony shall be entitled to relief under this section except for those records in cases of acquittal after trial.”3 (c) If the court, after a hearing “finds that the person is entitled to the sealing of the records, it shall order the sealing of the court records of the person in that case.” § 12-1-12.1(c).
Wrongful arrests: Records of arrests determined to be “wrongful” by law enforcement (whether due to mistaken identity, lack of probable cause, or “any other reason”) must be sealed 60 days after the determination if no charges are brought. § 12-1-12.2(b). See also § 12-1-12.2(f):
The person arrested, detained or otherwise identified as a suspect and who is thereafter exonerated may deny for any purpose that the arrest ever occurred and under no circumstances shall such an arrestee be required to disclose the arrest for any purpose including, but not limited to, any application for employment, professional license, concealed weapons permit or the purchase of a firearm or other weapon.
According to statistics compiled by the Rhode Island Judicial Technology Center, as reported in the Providence Journal, in 2014 Rhode Island courts sealed the records of 2,798 felonies and 8,800 misdemeanors, where there was an admission of guilt, a no contest plea, or a conviction. In 2013, the number of expunged cases totaled 13,385, including 2,076 felonies and 10,974 misdemeanors. http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150413/NEWS/150419664. These numbers represent a marked increase from the previous two years: in 2012, 269 felonies were expunged and 3,929 misdemeanors were expunged, and those numbers represent a 36 percent increase from the 3,091 total expungments granted in 2011. According to court statistics, in the nine years between 2000 and 2008, Rhode Island courts expunged the records of 42,080 convictions, of which 4,304 were felonies. The total number of records expunged between 2000 and 2008, including non-conviction dispositions, was 74,941. The numbers in all categories have been trending upwards each year since 2000.
Rhode Island has no general law regulating consideration of conviction in employment or licensure. It applies a direct relationship test in connection with disciplinary action for certain regulated professions, but a higher standard applies for medical and dental licensure. See R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-37-5.1 (unprofessional conduct includes “Conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude; conviction of a felony; conviction of a crime arising out of the practice of medicine”); id. § 5- 31.1-10 (same for practice of dentistry and dental hygiene).
Effective July 1, 2014, a person with no more than one non-violent felony conviction may apply to the Parole Board for a “certificate of recovery & re-entry” which may serve to “relieve the petitioner, in appropriate cases, of some of the collateral consequences resulting from his or her criminal record.” R.I. Gen. Laws § 13-8.2-1. Specifically, the certificate may “serve as one determining factor as to whether the petitioner has been successful in his or her rehabilitation.” See also § 13-8.2-2(5)(a certificate “shall serve as one determining factor, consistent with concerns of public safety, of the person’s ability to obtain employment, professional licenses, housing and other benefits and opportunities. Provided, further, that said instrument shall serve as a determination that the person receiving it has successfully achieved his or her recovery & re-entry goals as provided for in § 13-8.2-4.”) Eligibility criteria are established in § 13-8.2-2(4)(no more than one felony conviction) and (8) (violent crimes ineligible), and those with convictions from other jurisdictions are eligible to apply. The “minimum period of recovery & re-entry” is one year where the most serious conviction is a misdemeanor, and three years for a non-violent felony. The waiting period “shall be measured either from the date of the payment of any fine imposed upon him or her, or from the date of his or her release from the institutional facility, custody by parole or home confinement, whichever is later.” The certificate does not result in expungement or sealing, or limit the procedure for applying for a pardon. § 13-8.2-6.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 28-5-7(7) prohibits as an unlawful employment practice any inquiry orally or in writing to an applicant for public or private employment about arrests and (effective January 1, 2014) convictions until the first interview.The statute includes an exception for positions related to law enforcement agencies, positions for which federal or state law or regulation creates “a mandatory or presumptive disqualification from employment” based upon conviction, and positions for which the requirement of a standard fidelity bond would require disqualification based upon conviction.
Prior to 2006 constitutional amendment, art. II, § 1 provided that “No felon shall be permitted to vote until completion of such felon’s sentence, served or suspended, and of parole or probation.” That provision, approved by the voters in 1986, replaced a provision requiring persons convicted of a felony wishing to regain the vote to petition the General Assembly.
In 2011, Governor Chafee issued a pardon to a man who was infamously hanged in 1845 who many believe was wrongfully convicted of murder. The pardon was ostensibly granted to recognize and uphold the state’s commitment to opposing the death penalty. See Rhode Island Government Press Releases, Governor Lincoln D. Chafee Pardons John Gordon (June 28, 2011), available at http://www.ri.gov/press/view/14182.
Probationary sentences following a nolo contendere plea to a felony are not considered convictions for the purpose of determining sealing eligibility. § 12-18-3(a); see also State v. Poulin, 66 A.3d 419 (R.I. 2013).
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