R.I. Gen. Laws § 14-1-47: Trial by judge or jury.

If any adult is charged with an offense, the trial shall be by jury unless the accused shall in open court expressly waive trial by jury and request to be tried by the justice, in which case the trial shall be by the justice of the family court, and the judgment and sentence shall have the same force and effect in all respects as if the judgment and sentence had been entered and pronounced upon the verdict of a jury.