Thank you for visiting our policy page, where you will find all the tools you'll need to help us restore funding to the Court Advocacy Program that provides lifesaving resources to victims of domestic violence.  If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Orsinger, RICADV Legislative Coordinator, at 401.467.9940 or rorsinger@ricadv.org.

LEARN MORE: Read the Public Service Announcement.

State Budget Cuts Force Court Advocacy Program for Domestic Violence Victims to Close Mondays

Funds must be restored to continue lifesaving services

[PROVIDENCE – May 6, 2013] The Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence and its member agencies that run the statewide Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Program (Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center, Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County, Elizabeth Buffum Chace Center, and Women's Resource Center) are very sorry to announce today that because of severe state budgets cuts, the court advocacy program will no longer be available to victims of domestic violence on Mondays, starting June 1, 2013. With no other remaining areas to absorb the budget cuts, the agencies are left with no choice but to scale back these much needed services that provide a lifeline to victims of domestic violence in the midst of abusive situations. [Read More]

CALL YOUR LEGISLATOR TODAY:

(Follow the three-step guide to contact your legislator and help us restore funding to the Court Advocacy Program's lifesaving resources.)

SHARE THE ACTION ALERT TO GET OTHERS INVOLVED:

(Click on the thumbnail to get the Action Alert.)

CHANGE YOUR FACEBOOK COVER TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD TO YOUR FRIENDS:

 (You must click on the image to get the image with Facebook dimensions.)

PRINT OUT THE FLYER & SHARE OR DISPLAY: 

(Click the image to print a PDF.)

STAY UP TO DATE & GET ACTION ALERTS:

(You can choose from the RICADV E-Newsletter, Legislative Action Alerts, SOAR Newsletter or the TEN MEN Project. You can also use this tool to update your contact information. Simply enter your email address and you will then be taken to the selection screen to complete the process.)

Stop Strangulation: 2012 Legislative Priorities

RICADV's top priority for this legislative session is the Anti-Strangulation bill (H7242/S2147), which would make Domestic Assault by Strangulation a felony. Currently, this serious crime is usually treated as a misdemeanor and rarely receives any jail time at all, even though studies show that a victim who has been strangled is ten times more likely to be murdered in the future. The bill, sponsored by Rep. DaSilva in the House and Senator DeVall in the Senate, had hearings in both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees in the past month, and we hope it will be voted out of committee soon. Thank you to our member agencies, SOAR, the Attorney General, the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization of Women, the Police Chiefs' Association, the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, and all our other allies for your support on this bill!

We are also, unfortunately, fighting against budget cuts again this year, even more severe than last year's 10% cut to our state funding. This year, we are in danger of losing 25% of the community services grants that fun the Court Advocacy Program and programs for Children Who Witness. Thank you to all our supporters who have contacted the House Finance committee to let them know how important it is to keep these essential services available for the people who need them.

The 2011 General Assembly session ended on July 1.  This session was full of activity as the RICADV fought to preserve our remaining state funding for the services provided by our six member agencies while simultaneously pursuing a powerful legislative agenda aimed at protecting the lives of Rhode Island victims of domestic violence. 

While the session ended with the RICADV and its member agencies facing a 10% cut in state funding, our legislative agenda received broad-based support resulting in successful passage of a bill to make cyberstalking a domestic violence crime and the House and Senate passage of legislation to make strangulation assaults a felony.

Read more: 2011 Legislative Summary

Public policy advocacy is a crucial component of the Coalition's work to help protect victims and survivors and to hold abusers accountable. But public policy change requires the active civic participation of constituencies. The Coalition's Policy Team works to impact Rhode Island's legislative, the criminal justice, and the economic arenas to create a society that is safe for all its members and intolerant of abuse and violence. The Coalition engages survivors of domestic violence, as well as its six member agencies and the public, to help shape the systems that govern our society.

Domestic Violence and Firearms: A Model Protocol

Executive Summary

The purpose of this project was to develop a model policy for Rhode Island’s law enforcement agencies to use when responding to domestic violence calls involving firearms. This document is intended to provide insight to police officers, the judicial system and advocates about the shared and differing practices that law enforcement officers use in these types of cases. In addition, this report will provide recommendations for the purpose of improving the response to domestic abuse calls involving weapons.

Read more: Domestic Violence and Firearms

SAFETY FOR CHILDREN

A report on the impact of Rhode Island's custody system on victims of domestic violence and their children.

Even when victims of domestic violence attempt to live free from violence and protect their children, they too often continue to suffer injustice and abuse throughout the custody and visitation process. As a result of having this issue surface as a priority concern for its members, SOAR (Sisters Overcoming Abusive Relationships), with the support of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, established the Child Custody and Visitation Advisory Committee (CCVAC) in 2007.

Read more: Safety for Children