![]() Led by Supreme Court Justice Melissa Long, the group has focused, in part, on the impact of mandatory court costs. Suttell’s creation of a state Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts, which has been examining court practices that could lead to unfairness and disparate impacts on racial- and ethnic-minority communities. The law is an offshoot of Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul A. The criminal case receipts for the same period averaged $2.6 million, but the data is not tied to information regarding a defendant’s financial status or indigency. The potential impact of waiving costs for indigent is less clear, according to the Budget Office. Another 31% went to the Crime Victim Compensation Program, while 4.4% headed to municipalities and the Rhode Island Coalition to End Domestic Violence.įor criminal cases in which a person served 30 or more days, that amounted to an average of $305,369 annually, meaning the projected loss of revenue is $305,369 in the coming years in that category. “It’s an excessively punitive second sentence placed on defendants in addition to their actual sentence, and it’s counterproductive to rehabilitation.”Īccording to a State Budget Office review, 64.4% of the court costs collected from fiscal year 2019 through 2021 went into general revenue. Missing a payment results in more fees, and can result in a person getting arrested, perpetuating the cycle,” McCaffrey, D-Warwick, said in a statement. “There are thousands of Rhode Islanders paying just $10 a month on their court debts, meaning they are going to have this hanging over their heads virtually forever. Michael McCaffrey at the request of the Judiciary, aims to ensure that court costs don’t prove an insurmountable obstacle as people are trying to find employment and rebuild their lives after serving time. Jason Knight, D-Barrington, and Majority Leader Sen. More: Failing to pay full restitution has kept people on probation indefinitely in RI. A missed court date came with the threat of being picked up on a warrant and landing back behind bars. None of the legislation would impact court-imposed restitution to victims or for property damage.Ĭourt fees and fines had been mandatory and mounted into the thousands of dollars for some, tying people to the courts long after they served their sentences and as they were trying to rebuild their lives.
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