(a)  Every person who shall break and enter at any time of the day or night any dwelling house or apartment, whether the dwelling house or apartment is occupied or not, or any outbuilding or garage attached to or adjoining any dwelling house, without the consent of the owner or tenant of the dwelling house, apartment, building, or garage, shall be imprisoned for not less than two (2) years and not more than ten (10) years for the first conviction, and for the second and subsequent conviction shall be imprisoned for not less than four (4) years and not more than fifteen (15) years, or fined not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or both.

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 11-8-2

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.

(b)  Every person convicted pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be ordered to make restitution to the victim of the offense or to perform up to five hundred (500) hours of public community restitution work, or both, or any combination of them approved by the sentencing judge. The court may not waive the obligation to make restitution and/or public community restitution work. The restitution and/or public community restitution work shall be in addition to any fine or sentence which may be imposed and not in lieu of the fine or sentence.

History of Section.
G.L. 1923, ch. 397, § 9; P.L. 1928, ch. 1209, § 1; G.L. 1938, ch. 608, § 9; G.L. 1956, § 11-8-2; P.L. 1978, ch. 288, § 1; P.L. 1980, ch. 154, § 1; P.L. 1985, ch. 426, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 171, § 1.