R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-2-2
Any husband or father who without just cause deserts his wife or minor child by going into another state, and leaves them or any or either of them without making reasonable provisions for their support, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or both. No civil proceeding in any court shall be held to be a bar to a prosecution pursuant to this section for desertion or nonsupport. In a prosecution pursuant to this section for desertion or nonsupport against a husband, a decree or judgment of any court in a proceeding in which the husband appeared or was personally served with process, establishing the right of the wife to live apart, or her freedom to convey and deal with her property, or the right to the custody of the children, shall be admissible and shall be prima facie evidence of that right.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-2-2