Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-9-2 (2026)

Powers and duties of department — Division of juvenile prosecution established

✓ current as of July 2026
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(a) The attorney general, the assistant attorneys general, and those special assistant attorneys general who have been designated by the attorney general, shall exercise the powers and duties prescribed in and shall enforce the provisions of this chapter and of §§ 12-1-4 — 12-1-12, and in all other provisions of the general laws and public laws insofar as they relate to the powers and duties of the attorney general. The attorney general shall file notice with the secretary of state and the clerk of the superior court.

(b) There shall be established within the department of attorney general a division of juvenile prosecution which shall prosecute all delinquency petitions based on the commission of any offense which if committed by an adult would constitute a capital offense, all delinquency petitions based on the commission of an offense which if committed by an adult would constitute the offense of assault with intent to commit a capital offense, all delinquency petitions based upon the commission of an offense which if committed by an adult would constitute the offense of manslaughter, and all assault offenses which if committed by an adult would constitute a felony. The division of juvenile prosecution shall also have jurisdiction to file petitions pursuant to §§ 14-1-7 and 14-1-7.1.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3 cases, 2001–2008 · leading case: State v. Lead Indus., Ass'n, Inc., 951 A.2d 428 (R.I. 2008).
State v. Lead Indus., Ass'n, Inc., 951 A.2d 428 (R.I. 2008). · cites it 2× “See G.L. 1956 § 42-9-2 (vesting the Attorney General with the power to commence a public nuisance suit) and G.”
Cronan Ex Rel. State v. Cronan, 774 A.2d 866 (R.I. 2001). · cites it 2× “”); § 42-9-8 ("The attorney general is hereby empowered to appoint from time to time twelve (12) assistant attorneys general whose powers and duties shall be similar to those imposed upon the attorney general by law and shall be performed under and by the advice and direction of…”
Mottola v. Cirello, 789 A.2d 421 (R.I. 2002). “1956 chapter 9 of title 42) designate private counsel as special assistant attorneys general under §§ 42-9-2(a) and 42-9-8. What the AG may not do, however, is abdicate his ultimate responsibility and authority to control the litigation by refusing to represent the state in an…”
— R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-9-2(a) — 2 cases
Cronan Ex Rel. State v. Cronan, 774 A.2d 866 (R.I. 2001). “”); § 42-9-8 ("The attorney general is hereby empowered to appoint from time to time twelve (12) assistant attorneys general whose powers and duties shall be similar to those imposed upon the attorney general by law and shall be performed under and by the advice and direction of…”
Mottola v. Cirello, 789 A.2d 421 (R.I. 2002). “1956 chapter 9 of title 42) designate private counsel as special assistant attorneys general under §§ 42-9-2(a) and 42-9-8. What the AG may not do, however, is abdicate his ultimate responsibility and authority to control the litigation by refusing to represent the state in an…”
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.