Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws > Chapter 12-25 - Criminal Injuries Compensation

• Administrator: means the program administrator of this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Child: means an unmarried person who is under eighteen (18) years of age and includes a stepchild or an adopted child. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Court: means the superior court. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Dependent: means a person wholly or partially dependent upon the income of the victim at the time of his or her death or would have been so dependent but for the incapacity due to the injury from which the death resulted. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• in writing: include printing, engraving, lithographing, and photo-lithographing, and all other representations of words in letters of the usual form. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-16
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• 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.
• 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.
• Office: means the office of the general treasurer. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17
• Pecuniary loss: includes :

  (i)  For personal injury:

  (A)  Medical expenses (including psychiatric care) for which the victim is not compensated by any other source;

  (B)  Hospital expenses for which the victim is not compensated by any other source;

  (C)  Loss of past earnings for which the victim is not compensated by any other source;

  (D)  Loss of future earnings because of a disability resulting from the personal injury for which the victim is not compensated by any other source; and

  (E)  Direct expenses related to the delivery or obtainment of medical or counseling services, or participation in criminal justice proceedings. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17

• person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
• Personal injury: means actual bodily harm, mental or nervous shock, and a pregnancy resulting from sexual attack. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Relative: means a spouse, parent, grandparent, stepfather, stepmother, child, grandchild, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, and a spouse's parents. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17
• Resident: means any person who has his or her residence within the state of Rhode Island. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17
• Secondary victim: means a child who suffers an emotional injury as a direct result of witnessing a homicide or incident of domestic violence. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• State: includes the District of Columbia, the fifty (50) states, and the United States' territories and possessions. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17
• Treasurer: means the general treasurer of the state of Rhode Island or his or her designee. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17
• United States: include the several states and the territories of the United States. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-8
• Victim: means a person who is injured or killed by any act of a person or persons that is within the description of any of the offenses specified in § 12-25-20 and which act occurs in the state of Rhode Island. See Rhode Island General Laws 12-25-17