End Debtor’s Prison in Rhode Island
Every year, thousands of individuals sit in the Rhode Island jail not for crimes, but because they owe money to the state. Court debt is the most common reason that people are put in jail in Rhode Island--about 2,500 times a year. This incarceration is unnecessary and overly hasty, is an inefficient use of state finances, and disrupts peoples' lives. Rhode Island's system of court debt is considerably more punitive, more costly to defendants, and less accommodating to indigent individuals than other New England states. OpenDoors encourages policymakers to end the incarceration of the poor for inability to pay court fines.
Related Reports and Legislation
Released: 2008
Status of Relevant Legislation: PASSED
Recommendations include:
• Take ability to pay into account when assessing court debt.
• Employ a variety of collection methods before resorting to incarceration.
• Accept smaller bails from individuals picked up on warrants.
• Reduce the maximum amount of time people are held in jail awaiting ability to pay hearings to 48 hours
Released: April 2008, (pdf)
Status of Relevant Legislation: PASSED