Tap any paragraph to write a margin note. Your notes collect in the Desk below the text and file under cases with @. The side-by-side margin rail opens on a larger screen.

Code · Rhode Island · Title 12 Criminal Procedure · Chapter 17 Trial

§ 12-17-9. Defendant as witness.

79 words·~1 min read·/ri/title-12-criminal-procedure/chapter-17-trial/12-17-9·

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

§ 12-17-9. Defendant as witness.
No respondent in a criminal prosecution, offering himself or herself as a witness, shall be excluded from testifying because he or she is a respondent; and neglect or refusal so to testify shall create no presumption nor be used in argument against him or her.
History of Section.
C.P.A. 1905, § 396; G.L. 1909, ch. 292, § 44; G.L. 1923, ch. 342, § 44; G.L. 1938, ch. 538, § 11; G.L. 1956, § 12-17-9.
★   the supreme law of the land   ★
Don't Tread on Me
E Pluribus Unum — out of many, one

"If you don't know your rights, you don't have any."

Marginalia · a citizen's law index
A research desk, not legal advice. Always read the cited source before relying on a summary.
Questions or an issue? support@self-law.org
disclaimerMarginalia is a research index, not a law firm. Nothing on this site is legal, tax, or financial advice and no attorney–client relationship is formed by using it. Statutes, regulations, and case law change; summaries, search results, AI output, and member posts may be incomplete, out of date, or wrong. Any interpretation drawn from material on this site should be validated by a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before you act on it.