Title 12
Criminal Procedure

Chapter 29
Domestic Violence Prevention Act

R.I. Gen. Laws § 12-29-8.1

§ 12-29-8.1. Restraining order no-contact order system (R.O.N.C.O.).

(a) All domestic violence and sexual assault protective orders must be filed in the R.O.N.C.O. system at the attorney general’s bureau of criminal identification (B.C.I.) unit.

(b)(1) All protective orders filed against individuals aged eighteen (18) years and over and issued by the district court, superior court, family court, or bail commissioners must be filed upon issuance by faxing or delivering the orders to the B.C.I. unit, either electronically or in hard copy, no later than the end of the day of issuance. Orders shall include the following: the terms of the order; the date of issuance; the date of the second hearing (if any); the dates of birth of the parties; and the date of expiration.

(2) All modifications and terminations of the orders must also be faxed or delivered to the B.C.I. unit, either electronically or in hard copy, no later than the end of the day of the modification. Any protective order issued pursuant to chapter 15 of title 15, chapter 8.1 of title 8, and chapter 5 of title 15 that is terminated or expires for any reason, and any no-contact order issued by any superior court, district court, or family court that is removed, rescinded, or expired for any reason shall be expunged within thirty (30) days from the R.O.N.C.O. system and the prior existence of the protective order or no-contact order shall not be disclosed except by court order.

(c) A person entitled to protection under an existing protection order shall, upon request, be given a certified copy of the order by the court clerk. The attorney general’s B.C.I. unit shall accept the certified copy and enter that copy into the R.O.N.C.O. system.

(d) For purposes of this section, “protective orders” includes all family, district, and superior court restraining orders issued against individuals aged eighteen (18) years and over, as well as district and superior court no-contact orders issued against individuals aged eighteen (18) years and over.

History of Section.
P.L. 1998, ch. 384, § 1; P.L. 2024, ch. 253, § 2, effective June 24, 2024; P.L. 2024, ch. 254, § 2, effective June 24, 2024.