(a)  Any person who shall commit an assault or battery, or both, upon a person, with severe impairments causing serious bodily injury, shall be deemed to have committed a felony and shall be imprisoned for not less than two (2) years but not more than twenty (20) years, or fined not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both. Every person so convicted 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 imposed 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.

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 11-5-10.2

  • 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)  “Serious bodily injury” means physical injury that:

(1)  Creates a substantial risk of death, serious disfigurement;

(2)  Causes protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily part, member or organ; or

(3)  Causes serious permanent disfigurement.

(c)  For the purposes of this section:

(1)  “Adult” means a person over the age of eighteen (18).

(2)  “Major life activities” means: (i) mobility; (ii) self-care; (iii) communication; (iv) receptive and/or expressive language; (v) learning; (vi) self-direction; (vii) capacity for independent living; or (viii) economic self-sufficiency.

(3)  “Person with severe impairments” means a child or adult who has a disability which is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairments and results in substantial functional limitations in one or more major life activities.

(d)  Violations of this section shall be reported to the local police department.

(e)  After July 1, 2007 pursuant to § 40-8.5-2, the local police department may request the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals provide crisis intervention services for the adult victim with severe impairments when:

(1)  Necessary to ensure the immediate health and safety of the adult victim;

(2)  The adult victim relies on the person believed to have committed the assault and/or battery, for assistance in performing three (3) or more major life activities; and

(3)  After the victim is informed of his or her right to refuse crisis intervention and/or supportive services.

History of Section.
P.L. 1988, ch. 358, § 1; P.L. 1990, ch. 422, § 1; P.L. 1991, ch. 324, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 175, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 268, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 254, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 264, § 1.