Opinion ID: 1935220
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Cautionary Instruction

Text: The defendant asserts that the trial justice erred in failing to give a cautionary instruction relating to the limited use that might be made of the evidence concerning the purloined smock and the attempted elopement from the IMH. It is undisputed that no limiting or cautionary instruction was requested in accordance with Rule 105 of the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence. Nevertheless, defendant asserts that pursuant to State v. Jalette, 119 R.I. 614, 627-28, 382 A.2d 526, 533-34 (1978), a limiting instruction must be given in respect to evidence relating to prior uncharged offenses. As we pointed out in Brown, 626 A.2d at 234 n. 2, the Jalette rule is applicable to evidence of prior sexual offenses in circumstances in which a defendant is charged with a crime of sexual assault. The present case does not deal with sexual assault, and therefore, the trial justice was under no obligation to give a limiting or cautionary instruction in the absence of a request to be made by counsel for the defense. Thus the trial justice was not chargeable with error for failing to give such an instruction.