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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2022

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- IDENTIFICATION AND APPREHENSION OF

CRIMINALS

     Introduced By: Representatives Felix, Batista, Craven, McEntee, Potter, Amore, Henries,
Tanzi, and Williams

     Date Introduced: February 04, 2022

     Referred To: House Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 12-1-12.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 12-1 entitled

"Identification and Apprehension of Criminals" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     12-1-12.1. Motion for sealing of records of persons acquitted or otherwise exonerated

Sealing of records of persons acquitted or otherwise exonerated or by operation of law or by

motion.

     (a) By operation of law, the court shall automatically seal the records of any criminal case

that was dismissed pursuant to the district court rule of criminal procedure 48(a), including all

records of the division of criminal identification established by § 12-1-4 without the requirement

of filing a motion under the following circumstances:

     (1) Cases dismissed pursuant to the district court rule of criminal procedure 48(a) on or

after January 1, 2023, shall be automatically sealed ninety (90) days after the dismissal; or

     (2) Cases dismissed pursuant to the district court rule of criminal procedure 48(a) prior to

January 1, 2023, shall be sealed administratively by the court clerk at the request of the defendant

and any sealing order of the district court entered as a result shall be sent electronically by the clerk

of the court to the bureau of criminal identification established by § 12-1-4 within five (5) days of

the entry of the order and shall be carried out within ninety (90) days of the receipt of the order.

     (a)(b) Any person who is acquitted or otherwise exonerated of all counts in a criminal case,

including, but not limited to, dismissal dismissals not described in subsection (a) of this section or

filing of a no true bill or no information, may file a motion for the sealing of his or her court records

in the case.

     (b)(1) Any person filing a motion for sealing his or her court records pursuant to this section

shall give notice of the hearing date set by the court to the department of the attorney general and

the police department that originally brought the charge against the person at least ten (10) days

prior to the hearing.

     (c)(2) If the court, after the hearing at which all relevant testimony and information shall

be considered, finds that the person is entitled to the sealing of the records, it shall order the sealing

of the court records of the person in that case.

     (d)(3) The clerk of the court shall, within forty-five (45) days of the order of the court

granting the motion, place under seal the court records in the case in which the acquittal, dismissal,

no true bill, no information, or other exoneration has been entered.

     (e)(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, in all cases involving a filing

subsequent to a plea of not guilty, guilty, or nolo contendere to a charge of a crime involving

domestic violence, the court having jurisdiction over the case shall retain the records of the case

for a period of three (3) years from the date of filing. The records shall not be expunged or sealed

for a period of three (3) years from the date of the filing.

     (f)(d) The defendant shall be advised at the hearing that any and all bail money relating to

a case that remains on deposit and is not claimed at the time of sealing shall be escheated to the

state's general treasury in accordance with chapter 12 of title 8.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- IDENTIFICATION AND APPREHENSION OF

CRIMINALS

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     This act would provide for the sealing of court records without motion and by operation of

law ninety (90) days after dismissal under rule of criminal procedure 48(a), of all counts in a

criminal case on or after January 1, 2023. Prior to January 1, 2023, court records in those cases

would be sealed administratively by the court clerk at the request of the defendant.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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