A felony case in Providence Superior Court typically takes 6 to 18 months from arraignment to resolution. Complex cases involving multiple defendants, extensive discovery, expert witnesses, or wiretap evidence can run 2 years or longer. Cases that resolve by plea agreement at a pre-trial conference are faster than cases that go to jury trial. The discovery process alone can take months in serious cases, particularly when the defense needs to depose witnesses or obtain expert evaluations. Pre-trial motion practice (suppression, dismissal, severance) adds additional months to the timeline.
