(a)  Whenever any person is arraigned before the superior court and pleads guilty or nolo contendere, he or she may be at any time sentenced by the court; provided, that if at any time the court formally defers sentencing, then the person and the court shall enter into a written deferral agreement to be filed with the clerk of the court. When a court formally defers sentence, the court may only impose sentence up to five (5) years from and after the date of the written deferral agreement, unless during the required period, the person shall be declared to have violated the terms and conditions of the deferment pursuant to subsection (b) in which event the court may impose sentence.

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 12-19-19

  • Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.

(b)  The court may require that the person agreeing to said deferment of sentence shall not violate any condition of the written deferral agreement. A violation of any condition set forth by the written deferral agreement shall violate the terms and conditions of the deferment of sentence and the court may impose a sanction or impose sentence. The determination of whether a violation has occurred shall be made by the court in accordance with procedures relating to violation of probation in court rules and § 12-19-2 and § 12-19-14.

(c)  If a person, after the completion of the deferment period is determined by the court after a hearing to have 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 crime, then the person shall become immediately eligible for consideration for expungement pursuant to the provisions of § 12-1.3-2 and § 12-1.3-3.

History of Section.
C.P.A. 1905, § 21; G.L. 1909, ch. 273, § 18; G.L. 1923, ch. 323, § 18; P.L. 1927, ch. 1063, § 1; G.L. 1938, ch. 496, § 18; P.L. 1945, ch. 1560, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 12-19-19; P.L. 2010, ch. 128, § 1; P.L. 2010, ch. 256, § 1; P.L. 2016, ch. 202, § 2; P.L. 2016, ch. 204, § 2; P.L. 2017, ch. 345, § 1; P.L. 2017, ch. 351, § 1.