New RI law eliminates criminal court costs for those unable to pay

On June 27, Governor McKee signed into law 2022-H7695 and 2022-S2774, which remove all state court fees, assessments, and costs for people convicted of criminal offenses who meet the criteria for indigent status (inability to pay), as well as those who spend more than 30 days in prison.  Income Evaluation at Sentencing At the time…

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Rent Relief Closing Applications on June 1, 2022

IMPORTANT RENT RELIEF UPDATE:  Rent Relief RI will only be accepting new applications and recertifications until June 1, 2022. Applications and recertifications MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE JUNE 1, 2022.  If you complete your new application or recertification before June 1, 2022 then you will still be processed for past due rent and utilities, security deposit, and three months of forward facing rent if you are eligible…

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Tenant Protection Against Evictions and Help Paying Rent

CDC Eviction Moratorium Overturned in August 2021 The United States Supreme Court struck down the CDC Eviction Moratorium on August 26, 2021, meaning it is no longer in effect and evictions may continue. Evictions in Rhode Island are carried out by a judge so you cannot legally be forced out of your home until after…

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Center for Justice Closed on June 21st

The R.I. Center for Justice will be closed on Monday, June 21, 2021 in recognition of the historic first national holiday observance of Juneteenth.  From President Biden’s Proclamation: “On June 19, 1865 — nearly nine decades after our Nation’s founding, and more than 2 years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation — enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas,…

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Rental and Utility Assistance Now Available

Dear Neighbor, Rental and utility assistance is now available again in Rhode Island. The new Rent Relief RI (RRR) program has opened and is now accepting applications. This program is the successor to the Safe Harbor program and has taken on the responsibility of processing unfinished Safe Harbor applications. Although RRR will be prioritizing and processing…

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Thank you BCBSRI for a second year of BlueAngel Grant Support – Housing is Health!

The Rhode Island Center for Justice is excited to enter a second year in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island through the BlueAngel Community Health Grant. The BlueAngel Grant supports our work to help Rhode Islanders remain stably housed and keep prevent utility disruption, a leading cause of housing insecurity. We are grateful…

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Au Pairs: Special Enrollment Period to Sign Up for Free/Low-Cost Health Insurance

Updated on April 10, 2021. If you are an au pair on a J1 visa with a valid DS-2019, living anywhere in the United States, you may be eligible for free or low-cost, comprehensive health insurance that covers primary care, prescriptions, pre-existing conditions, sports injuries, mental health care, vaccinations, COVID-19 care, emergency room visits, surgeries,…

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The R.I. Center for Justice Stands with Jose Batista for Transparency

The Rhode Island Center for Justice stands with Jose Batista, Executive Director of the Providence External Review Authority (PERA), established by the Providence City Council to function as a civilian police oversight board. On November 10th, Director Batista released two videos from an April 19, 2020 incident showing Sergeant Hanley handcuffing and being physically and…

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