Politics & Government
Court Advocates Protest Budget Cuts
Beginning June 3, advocacy services for domestic violence — including those provided by Women's Resource Center of Newport and Bristol Counties — will be closed on Mondays.
Because of state budget cuts, the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence will stop providing court advocacy services to victims of domestic violence on Mondays, starting June 3.
On Friday, May 31, RICADV staffers, representatives of the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office, and clients who have been served by the program gathered at the Garrahy Court Complex in Providence to protest the cuts.
In the West Bay, Coalition agencies — including the Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County, which serves clients in South Kingstown and Narragansett — handled 578 cases at the McGrath Judicial Complex in Wakefield last year.
Find out what's happening in Narragansett-South Kingstownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Executive Director Lori DiPersio explained that the service cuts will force domestic violence victims to return to local police departments to extend no-contact orders that might otherwise be in effect when court hearings are held.
"We have people who may need to get their restraining orders renewed on Monday, so they're going to have to wait until Tuesday," DiPersio said.
Find out what's happening in Narragansett-South Kingstownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
See the accompanying video from Friday's press conference held by the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
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