Criminal No Contact Orders - What Constitutes a Violation?

Criminal No Contact Orders - What Constitutes a Violation?

A "no contact order" means that the defendant is precluded from having any contact and or communication with the victim or the person under the protection of the no contact order. This includes but is not limited to letters, emails, text messages or messages delivered through a third party. This article pertains to Rhode Island (RI) no contact orders.

In other words if a person is under this type of restrianing order and sees the victim in public they must leave the area immediately and not acknowledge the victims existence. A person cannot even say "hi" if they walk by the victim by chance on the street.

Be very careful! A person can be arrested for a violation even if the victim initiates the contact and calls the defendant. A person can be charged with a violation even if invited by his wife to come back to the marital home.

Even if the victim tells you that the no contact order has been dropped, do not take the victims word for it. You must see the piece of paper signed by the judge dismissing the order before any contact or communication is initiated. A no contact order expires when the sentence period is finished. It also expires if the case is dismissed or the defendant is found not guilty. However, be careful because there may also be another restraining order issued as a result of a divorce or Family Court matter or a District Court restraining order.

A person who is on probation, bail or a probation attached to a suspended sentence must be even more vigilante in order to not violate the no contact order. A violation is a crime in itself which is also a violation of the conditions of probation, filing or bail.

A person on probation, during a one year filing or bail can be held at the ACI if they are accused of violating a no-contact order. For example if a person is on probation, filing or bail, a single phone call made by the defendant to a victim under the protection of a no contact order probably means a minimum of ten 10 days in jail at the ACI. We are not talking about the local town jail but the ACI. If a person has a suspended sentence the amount of jail time for could be substantial.

Legal Notice per RI Rules of Professional Responsibility:

The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers and attorneys in the general practice of law, but does not license or certify any lawyer/ attorney as an expert or specialist in any field of practice.

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