Every adult criminal case begins in District Court. What happens next depends on the charge (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-1-2):

• Petty misdemeanor: up to 6 months in jail, a $500 fine, or both. It stays in District Court.
• Misdemeanor: up to 1 year, a $1,000 fine, or both. A District Court judge decides the case. There is no jury in District Court.
• Felony: a possible term over 1 year, or a fine above $1,000. District Court handles only the start. The case then moves to Superior Court, where a jury can hear it.

A man found guilty of a misdemeanor may appeal to Superior Court. There he gets a brand-new trial. Most traffic cases go to the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal instead, and anyone under 18 goes to Family Court.

Court buildings are open weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The town where he was arrested decides the District Court division (R.I. Gen. Laws § 8-8-2). Here is each county's setup:

• Bristol County (Barrington, Bristol, Warren) has no courthouse. District cases go to the Sixth Division at the Garrahy Judicial Complex, 1 Dorrance Plaza, Providence, RI 02903, 401-458-5400. Felonies go to Superior Court at the Licht Judicial Complex, 250 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02903, 401-222-3250. Garrahy also houses the Family Court clerk, 401-458-3200.
• Kent County uses the Noel Judicial Complex, 222 Quaker Lane, Warwick, RI 02886: Third Division, 401-822-6750; Superior Court, 401-822-6900; Family Court, 401-822-6725.
• Newport County uses the Murray Judicial Complex, 45 Washington Square, Newport, RI 02840: Second Division, 401-841-8350; Superior Court, 401-841-8330; Family Court, 401-841-8340.
• Providence County splits in two. Burrillville, Cumberland, Woonsocket, Central Falls, Pawtucket, East Providence and the capital city share the Garrahy and Licht clerks listed for Bristol. Cranston, Johnston, Lincoln, North Providence, North Smithfield, Smithfield, Scituate, Glocester and Foster go to Noel's Third Division in Warwick.
• Washington County uses the McGrath Judicial Complex, 4800 Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, RI 02879: Fourth Division, 401-782-4131; Superior Court, 401-782-4121; Family Court, 401-782-4111. North Kingstown cases start at Noel instead. Block Island cases are heard on the mainland in Wakefield.

State law sends Third Division transfers to the Kent County Superior Court. For a felony from Cranston or another Third Division town, ask the Licht clerk which Superior Court has the case.

No. It is the first stop for men, and the Department of Corrections runs six adult buildings in all, each on the ACI grounds in Cranston:

• Intake Service Center, 18 Slate Hill Road, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-462-2285. Men held before trial, men newly sentenced and waiting to be classified, and sentenced men who need protective custody. It takes in about 706 men a month.
• Gloria McDonald Women's Facility, 20 Fleming Road, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-462-0787. Every woman RIDOC holds, whether awaiting trial or serving time in minimum, medium or work release.
• Maximum Security Facility, 1375 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-462-2053. The oldest working prison in the state. It keeps men with long sentences and some sent there for discipline.
• High Security Center, 54 Power Road, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-462-2028. A supermax for men under the strictest control.
• John J. Moran Medium Security Facility, 51 West Road, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-462-3771. Sentenced men classified as medium custody.
• Minimum Security Facility, 16 Howard Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-462-2162. Low-risk sentenced men, who work inside, on community projects or on work release.
• Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, 950 High Street, Central Falls, RI 02863, 401-729-1190. Not part of RIDOC. It holds people charged in federal court and ICE detainees.

Children are never held at the ACI. The Rhode Island Training School, 57 Power Road, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-462-7390, holds youth on Family Court orders.

A few cities and towns hold court for local ordinances, parking and some traffic cases. These courts do not hear crimes that can lead to the ACI:

• Cranston Municipal Court, 5 Garfield Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-477-5010, clerk weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• East Providence Municipal Court, City Hall, 145 Taunton Avenue, East Providence, RI 02914, 401-435-7500, in session Thursday evenings at 5:00 p.m. for housing, ordinance, animal, traffic and boating cases.
• Pawtucket Municipal Court, City Hall, 137 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02860, 401-728-0500.
• Woonsocket Municipal Court, Harris Hall (3rd floor) in City Hall, 169 Main Street, Woonsocket, RI 02895, 401-767-9250, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Warwick Municipal Court, City Hall (1st floor), 3275 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02886, 401-738-2006, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Coventry Municipal Court, 401-822-9187.

Most moving violations go to the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal, 670 New London Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-275-2700. For a ticket from any other town, call the police department that wrote it.

Arraignment is his first time before a judge. The judge reads the charge, sets bail or release terms, and can send him to the Public Defender. In felony cases, court rules say police must bring an arrested person before a judge "without unnecessary delay" (Dist. Ct. R. Crim. P. 5(a)).

• Arrested at night or on a weekend? A bail commissioner may arraign him at the police station. He must still appear later for a formal arraignment in District Court.
• Misdemeanor: a commissioner can take a not-guilty plea and set a pretrial conference with a District Court judge (R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-10-2).
• Felony: a commissioner can set a felony screening date, except when the charge carries a possible life sentence.
• Domestic charge: the judge or commissioner issues a no-contact order before any release (R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-29-4).

Men kept on Slate Hill Road after arraignment get a visit from Public Defender staff within several days. Superior Court also holds video presentments during its daily criminal calendar.

After arraignment, the case is set for a pretrial conference before a District Court judge. If it goes to trial, that judge decides it alone. A guilty verdict can be appealed for a full new trial in Superior Court. Top penalties for charges families often face:

• First DUI at .08 to under .10: $100 to $300, 10 to 60 hours of community restitution, up to a year, and losing the license for 30 to 180 days (R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-27-2)
• Simple assault or battery: up to a year and $1,000 (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-5-3)
• Shoplifting, first offense: at least $50 or double the value, capped at $500, and up to a year (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-41-20)
• Theft of $1,500 or less: up to a year and $500 (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-41-5)
• Domestic assault, first conviction: a batterer's program he pays for, which cannot be waived, and a $125 assessment (R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-29-5)

One outcome avoids a conviction. A judge may put a minor case "on file." If he stays out of trouble for the set time, the case is erased and leaves no record (R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-10-12). Felonies and people with a past felony usually cannot get a filing.

A felony starts in District Court with arraignment and a screening date. Then the Attorney General must formally charge him in Superior Court. That happens one of two ways. A grand jury of 13 to 23 people can return an indictment. Or a prosecutor can file an "information" based on a police affidavit.

1. He is arraigned again in Superior Court.
2. If there is a trial, 12 jurors and 2 alternates hear it.
3. If he is found guilty or pleads, the judge sentences him.

A deferred sentence is one option after a plea. He signs a five-year agreement. If he keeps every term, no sentence is imposed, and he can ask to clear his record (R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-19-19). Superior Court and the Attorney General also run a Diversion Program that offers supervision and services, instead of a conviction, to eligible defendants. Felony penalties include:

• Theft from $1,500 up to $5,000: up to 3 years; $5,000 to $10,000: up to 6 years; over $10,000 or any gun: up to 10 years (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-41-5)
• Home break-in: 2 to 10 years on a first conviction, 4 to 15 after that (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-8-2)
• Assault with a dangerous weapon: up to 6 years (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-5-2)

The most serious charges follow stricter rules:

• Grand jury required. Capital offenses such as murder, rape, robbery and burglary must be charged by indictment, not by information.
• Bail can be denied. A possible life sentence, some repeat weapon crimes and major drug dealing can mean no bail when proof is strong (R.I. Const. art. I, § 9).
• Superior Court hears the bail fight. If prosecutors oppose bail where the charge carries life, Superior Court holds the hearing, unless a recording is arranged in District Court (R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-13-1.1).
• Long sentences. An assault that causes serious bodily injury can bring up to 20 years (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-5-2). A third domestic violence offense becomes a felony, with 1 to 10 years (R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-29-5).

Superior Court also keeps a Gun Court Calendar for firearm cases and an Adult Drug Court program.

Rhode Island has no district attorneys. The Office of the Attorney General prosecutes every felony in the state and many misdemeanors. The Office of the Public Defender gives a free lawyer to people who qualify. There is no fixed income cutoff. Both offices work out of each courthouse:

• Bristol and Providence: prosecutors at the Licht Judicial Complex, 250 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02903 (2nd floor), 401-274-4400. Defenders at Licht (4th floor), 401-222-1312, and at the Garrahy Judicial Complex, 1 Dorrance Plaza, Providence, RI 02903 (1st floor), 401-458-3050.
• Kent: prosecutors at the Noel Judicial Complex, 222 Quaker Lane, Warwick, RI 02886, 401-822-6800. Defenders in Suite 100 of the same building, 401-822-6875. Third Division towns from Providence County and North Kingstown use these offices too.
• Newport: prosecutors at the Murray Judicial Complex, Eisenhower Square, Newport, RI 02840, 401-841-8310. Defenders at 45 Washington Square, Newport, RI 02840 (3rd floor), 401-841-8320, with walk-in intake on Thursdays.
• Washington: prosecutors at the McGrath Judicial Complex, 4800 Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, RI 02879, 401-782-4150. Defenders in Suite 243, 401-782-4180.

The Attorney General's main office is at 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, on the same number as Licht. The Public Defender's main office is at 160 Pine Street, Providence, RI 02903, 401-222-3492.

Search his name for free on the Rhode Island Judiciary Public Portal. It shows the docket: the people in the case, each event and each filing, in date order.

• Documents can be read on public computers in any clerk's office during business hours.
• District Court calendars online are informational only. Confirm dates with the clerk.
• Sealed cases and juvenile files do not appear.
• Old closed files may be at the Judicial Records Center, 5 Hill Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860, 401-721-2640.

RIDOC's automated 24-hour information line, 401-414-2871, also gives charges and bond details. From a jail phone, he can dial 444 to hear his own charges.

Town police and the Rhode Island State Police serve warrants. The State Police Violent Fugitive Task Force answers at 401-921-8130. Official wanted lists: the FBI wanted page, the Marshals' top 15 fugitives and Rhode Island's Most Wanted. To check one name, call the police in the town of arrest or that town's District Court clerk. You can also try the criminal clerk line at the Garrahy Judicial Complex, 1 Dorrance Plaza, Providence, RI 02903, 401-458-5403. He clears a bench warrant by going before the judge whose court issued it, with a lawyer if he can.

Federal crimes from every Rhode Island town go to one federal court, the U.S. District Court, 1 Exchange Terrace, Providence, RI 02903, 401-752-7200. The clerk is in weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

1. After a federal arrest, he sees a federal judge. A detention hearing decides if he stays locked up before trial (18 U.S.C. 3142).
2. Kept in custody, he becomes a prisoner of the U.S. Marshals. Their Rhode Island office is at 2 Exchange Terrace, Room 323, Providence, RI 02903, 401-824-7610.
3. Most federal detainees in the state stay at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility, 950 High Street, Central Falls, RI 02863, 401-729-1190, not at the ACI.
4. Once sentenced, he moves to a federal prison. Find him on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Criminal court and immigration are two separate systems. This is how a detainer works:

1. To ask RIDOC to keep him, ICE fills out a detainer, Form I-247A.
2. By federal rule, the hold may run up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. In February 2024, the Governor's office stated that Rhode Island does not hold anyone on an ICE detainer alone. The statement relied on a federal appeals ruling, Morales v. Chadbourne (1st Cir. 2015).
4. Agents may still arrest him themselves. The ICE Boston Field Office, 1000 District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803, 781-359-7500, covers Rhode Island. ICE holds people at the Wyatt Detention Facility, 950 High Street, Central Falls, RI 02863, 401-729-1190.
5. To find someone ICE has taken, try the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

Immigration questions can change how a plea should be handled, so tell the defense lawyer early.

RIDOC holds both jail and prison inmates, so a state sentence is served on the same campus. After sentencing, staff classify each man by risk. He then moves to the sentenced building that fits that rating. Sentenced women stay at the women's facility.

• Follow transfers on the RIDOC inmate search.
• Browse every prison on our Rhode Island state prisons page.
• Adult Probation and Parole: Dix Building, 18 Wilma Schesler Lane, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-462-0382.
• Parole Board: Mathias Building, 40 Howard Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-462-0900.

A child's case goes to Family Court, not District Court, and the records stay private (R.I. Gen. Laws § 38-2-2). Each county uses its own Family Court clerk:

• Bristol and Providence: Juvenile Clerk, Garrahy Judicial Complex, 1 Dorrance Plaza, Providence, RI 02903, 401-458-3290
• Kent: Noel Judicial Complex, 222 Quaker Lane, Warwick, RI 02886, 401-822-6725
• Newport: Murray Judicial Complex, 45 Washington Square, Newport, RI 02840, 401-841-8340
• Washington: McGrath Judicial Complex, 4800 Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, RI 02879, 401-782-4111

A youth the court orders held goes to the Rhode Island Training School, 57 Power Road, Cranston, RI 02920, 401-462-7390. The child and a parent meet with the Public Defender after arraignment. Only a waiver hearing can send a youth to adult court. That takes a charge punishable by life if an adult did it, or a felony when the youth is 16 or older (R.I. Gen. Laws § 14-1-7).

The state constitution says victims must be treated with dignity, respect and sensitivity. Victims may seek payment from the offender and speak to the court before sentencing (R.I. Const. art. I, § 23).

• RIDOC's Office of Victim Services, 401-462-0381, signs people up for RI-VINE. This free service calls when an inmate is released, moved or up for parole. You can also register at www.vinelink.com.
• The Crime Victim Compensation Program, 50 Service Avenue, Warwick, RI 02886, 401-462-7655, can cover up to $25,000 in bills such as doctor visits, counseling, funerals and missed wages. Report the crime within 15 days and apply within three years.
• The Attorney General's Victim Services Unit, 401-274-4400, guides victims through felony cases.