Yes, regularly. Rhode Island kidnapping indictments are reduced or dismissed in a meaningful percentage of cases, especially where the alleged restraint was brief, where consent evidence exists, where the intent element is weak, or where the charge overlaps heavily with a separate assault or domestic incident. Typical reductions include unlawful restraint, custodial interference, simple assault, or disorderly conduct. Outright dismissals happen when suppression motions gut the state's evidence, when an eyewitness recants, or when a grand jury refuses to indict. The key is to treat the case as a negotiation from day one while preparing it as if it will go to trial. The defense lawyer who is ready for trial gets the best plea offers.
