---
title: "What are the penalties for a felony conviction in Rhode Island?"
description: "Rhode Island felony penalties are among the most severe in New England. Prison sentences range from one year and a day (the minimum to qualify as a felony) all the way to life without parole for..."
url: https://bankandmunns.com/faq-items/what-are-the-penalties-for-a-felony-conviction-in-rhode-island/
date: 2026-04-15
modified: 2026-04-29
author: "Bank and Munns"
type: avada_faq
lang: en
---

# What are the penalties for a felony conviction in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island felony penalties are among the most severe in New England. Prison sentences range from one year and a day (the minimum to qualify as a felony) all the way to life without parole for first-degree murder.

Common sentencing ranges:

- **Drug distribution**, 5 to 40 years depending on substance and quantity

- **Assault with a dangerous weapon (ADW)**, up to 20 years

- **First-degree robbery**, 10 years to life

- **First-degree sexual assault**, 10 years to life, plus mandatory registration

- **Burglary**, up to life

- **Kidnapping**, up to 20 years

- **Carrying a firearm without a license**, 3 to 10 years with a one-year mandatory minimum

On top of prison time: fines up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, restitution, probation often 5+ years, mandatory DNA submission, and, for sex offenses, lifetime sex offender registration.

Collateral consequences of any felony conviction include:

- Permanent loss of firearm rights

- Loss of voting rights during incarceration

- Deportation for non-citizens

- Professional license revocation

- Employment barriers in healthcare, education, finance, government

- Public housing ineligibility

- Loss of federal student aid

Some Rhode Island felonies carry mandatory minimum sentences the judge cannot suspend or run concurrent. This is why every Bank & Munns felony defense starts with charge-reduction strategy, keeping exposure as low as possible before any plea or trial decision.