Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws > Chapter 42-164 - Address Confidentiality Program

• Abuse: means an act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm to an individual and, for purposes of this chapter includes, but is not limited to, any of the following crimes, regardless of whether these acts or threats have been reported to law enforcement officers:

  (i)  Child abuse (§ 11-9-5. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-164-2

• Actual address: means the physical location where the applicant resides, as specified on the individual's application to be a program participant under this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-164-2
• Agency: means any subdivision of the state of Rhode Island, a municipality, or a subdivision of a municipality. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-164-2
• 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.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Case law: The law as laid down in cases that have been decided in the decisions of the courts.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• 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.
• Family or household member: means current or former intimate partners, spouses, former spouses, persons related by blood or marriage, persons who are presently residing together or who have resided together in the past three (3) years, and persons who have a child in common regardless of whether they have been married or have lived together, or persons who are, or have been, in a dating or engagement relationship within the past year. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-164-2
• 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.
• 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.
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• oath: includes affirmation; the word "sworn" includes affirmed; and the word "engaged" includes either sworn or affirmed. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-11
• 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
• Public record: means a public record as defined in § 38-2-2 ("public records"). See Rhode Island General Laws 42-164-2
• seal: shall be construed to include an impression of the seal made with or without the use of wax or wafer on the paper. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-15
• Secretary: means the Rhode Island secretary of state. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-164-2
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Substitute address: means the secretary's designated address for the address confidentiality program. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-164-2
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• United States: include the several states and the territories of the United States. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-8
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.