RI Supreme Court Strikes Down Superior Court Conviction

“Rhode Island Supreme Court strikes down Superior Court conviction because the defendant was not permitted to make his own decision as to whether to waive his right to a jury trial.  The Court reaffirmed that the decision to waive a right to be tried before a jury belongs to the accused and not to his lawyer or the court.”
“In order to convict a defendant of second degree child abuse, the alleged injury to the child must be serious.  Parents are permitted to use corporal punishment to discipline their children as long as that punishment is not excessive.”

Read the official Court decision in State v. Mark Sampson.