Rhode Island § 12-19-39 - Sentence and Execution

§ 12-19-39. Criminal street gang enhancement.

(a) “Criminal street gang” means an ongoing organization, association, or group of three (3) or more persons, whether formal or informal, having as one of its primary activities the commission of criminal or delinquent acts; having an identifiable name or common identifiable signs, colors, or symbols; and whose members individually or collectively engage in, or have engaged in, a pattern of criminal gang activity.

(b) Any person who is convicted of any felony that is knowingly committed for the benefit, at the direction of, or in association with any criminal street gang or criminal street gang member, with the intent to promote, further, or assist in the affairs of a criminal street gang or criminal conduct by criminal street gang members, in addition to the sentence provided for the commission of the underlying offense, shall be subject to imprisonment for an additional term of not more than ten (10) years.

(c) Whenever it appears that a person may be subject to the enhanced sentence in this section, the attorney general, in no case later than the first pretrial conference, shall file with the court a notice specifying that the defendant, upon conviction, is subject to the imposition of sentencing in accordance with this section.

(d) Upon any plea of guilt or nolo contendere, or verdict or finding of guilt of the defendant, the court shall conduct a sentencing hearing. At the hearing, the court shall permit the attorney general and the defense to present additional evidence to the jury relevant to the determination of whether the defendant knowingly committed the offense for the benefit, at the direction of, or in association with any criminal street gang or criminal street gang member, with the intent to promote, further, or assist in the affairs of a criminal street gang or criminal conduct by criminal street gang members. If the jury at the hearing, or in the case of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, the court at sentencing, determines beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant’s actions were so motivated, he or she shall be sentenced as provided in subsection (b).

(e) This section does not create a separate offense but provides an additional enhanced sentence for the underlying offense.

(f) The enhanced sentence provided in this section shall run consecutively to the sentences provided for the underlying offenses.