Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 14-1-10 (2026)

Preliminary investigation on information furnished to court

✓ current as of July 2026
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Except in case of emergency detention, whenever any appropriate person shall give to the court information in his or her possession that a child is within the provisions of this chapter, it shall be the duty of the court to make a preliminary investigation to determine whether the interests of the public or of the child require that further action be taken, and to report its findings together with a statement of the facts to the judge. The inquiry may include a preliminary investigation of the home and environmental situation of the child, his or her previous history, and the circumstances which were the subject of the information. To avoid duplication of effort and to take full advantage of all existing facilities, the report of any public agency, or of any private social agency licensed by the department of children, youth, and families, may be accepted by the court as sufficient evidence for the filing of a petition.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 7 cases, 1972–2012 · leading case: Elizabeth Boyer v. Chief Judge Haiganush Bedrosian, 57 A.3d 259 (R.I. 2012).
Elizabeth Boyer v. Chief Judge Haiganush Bedrosian, 57 A.3d 259 (R.I. 2012). · cites it 3× “Indeed, order 2010-2 provides that “all truancy petitions shall be referred to the RI Family Court Intake Department for a preliminary investigation.”
In Re Leon, 410 A.2d 121 (R.I. 1980). · cites it 2× “1956 (1969 Reenactment) §14-1-10, engages in a preliminary investigation “to determine whether the interests of the public or the child require that further action be taken, and * * * report[s] its findings together with a statement of the facts to the judge.”
Ryan v. DeMello, 354 A.2d 734 (R.I. 1976). · cites it 2× “Section 14-1-10. If the justice believes that the court’s jurisdiction should be invoked, a petition is filed with the court, asking that the child be adjudged a delinquent or neglected.”
In re R. J. P., 445 A.2d 286 (R.I. 1982). · cites it 4× “1956 (1969 Reenactment) § 14-1-10 1 and for filing a petition alleging that a child is dependent, neglected, and/or abused pursuant to the terms of § 14-1-11, as amended by P.”
In Re Three Minor Child., 289 A.2d 434 (R.I. 1972). · cites it 2× “Section 14-1-10 of the statute provides for such preliminary investigation when the court comes into possession of information that the child is within the provisions of the chapter.”
In Re Rjp, 445 A.2d 286 (R.I. 1982). · cites it 4× “1956 (1969 Reenactment) § 14-1-10 [1] and for filing a petition alleging that a child is dependent, neglected, and/or abused pursuant to the terms of § 14-1-11, as amended by P.”
Desmond v. Brennan, 639 A.2d 1351 (R.I. 1994). “542, § 9; § 14-1-5; § 14-1-10, as amended by P.L.1985, ch. 98, § 1.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.