---
title: "What is the maximum sentence for ADW in Rhode Island?"
description: "Assault with a dangerous weapon in Rhode Island carries significant felony exposure. The Rhode Island Supreme Court has upheld ADW sentences as long as twenty years, depending on aggravating factors..."
url: https://bankandmunns.com/faq-items/what-is-the-maximum-sentence-for-adw-in-rhode-island/
date: 2026-04-22
modified: 2026-04-22
author: "Bank and Munns"
type: avada_faq
lang: en
---

# What is the maximum sentence for ADW in Rhode Island?

Assault with a dangerous weapon in Rhode Island carries significant felony exposure. The Rhode Island Supreme Court has upheld ADW sentences as long as twenty years, depending on aggravating factors like the weapon used, the severity of the injury, the defendant's record, and whether the case involved firearms discharge or domestic violence. First-time offenders with clean records and favorable facts often avoid incarceration entirely, receiving probation, suspended sentences, or reductions to simple assault. The sentencing range is wide on purpose - it gives Superior Court judges discretion to calibrate punishment to the facts. Your Rhode Island assault with a dangerous weapon lawyer's job is to give the judge and the Attorney General every reason to push the sentence toward the lighter end of the range, or better, to resolve the case through a reduction before sentencing ever happens.