From arrest to resolution, a Rhode Island kidnapping case typically takes between nine months and two years. The timeline runs roughly: arrest and bail within the first week; grand jury indictment within 30 to 180 days; arraignment and discovery over the next three to six months; motion practice and plea negotiation over another three to nine months; trial, if it gets there, eighteen months or more from arrest. Cases with co-defendants, forensic evidence, or international components run longer. Cases with strong early suppression motions or clear charge-reduction paths can resolve much faster. Bank & Munns's approach is to move every kidnapping case as fast as the facts allow toward the best possible outcome - and to hold firm when the state is not offering one.
