R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-2-65: Right to counsel.

(a) If a city or town elects to prosecute a defendant with an offense that is punishable by imprisonment in any court created under the authority of this chapter, the court shall advise the defendant of his or her right to be represented by counsel and, if the defendant is indigent, the court shall assign counsel to represent the defendant at every stage of the proceeding. The right to counsel may be waived through a knowing, intelligent, and voluntary waiver, in writing and duly executed on the record in open court.

(b) No defendant may be ordered detained at the adult correctional institution for violation of a court order entered as a result of an adjudication that is not punishable by imprisonment in the first instance.