{"data":{"id":"us-ri/r.i.-gen.-laws-12-18-3","jurisdiction":"us-ri","citation":"R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-18-3","heading":"Plea of nolo contendere followed by probation — Effect.","body":"(a) Whenever any person shall be arraigned before the district court or superior court and shall plead nolo contendere, and the court places the person on probation pursuant to § 12-18-1, then upon the completion of the probationary period, and absent a violation of the terms of the probation, the plea and probation shall not constitute a conviction for any purpose. Evidence of a plea of nolo contendere followed by a period of probation, completed without violation of the terms of the probation, may not be introduced in any court proceeding, except that records may be furnished to a sentencing court following the conviction of an individual for a crime committed subsequent to the successful completion of probation on the prior offense.\n(b) This section shall not apply to any person who is sentenced to serve a term in the adult correctional institutions or who is given a suspended or deferred sentence in addition to probation.\n(c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to persons making applications for the purchase of a firearm, or to persons making applications for permission to carry a concealable weapon, if the crime for which the plea was entered was a crime of violence as defined in § 11-47-2 or the plea was entered pursuant to chapter 28 of title 21. In these cases a plea of nolo contendere followed by probation shall be deemed a conviction for the purposes stated in this subsection.","path":["Title 12 Criminal Procedure","Chapter 18 Probation"],"source_url":"https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE12/12-18/12-18-3.htm","current_through":"site files published 2025-08-13","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T19:55:26Z","sha256":"ae517dd6b8c0d167c34d600d5f8b41ce0d3c5dc1346036805b49cfe0f8281037","source_id":"us-ri","stale":true,"prev":"us-ri/r.i.-gen.-laws-12-18-2","next":"us-ri/r.i.-gen.-laws-12-18-4"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}