The Rhode Island Judiciary Report 2000 has been released and the year-long look at activity in the state’s six major courts has found that efficiency and expediency are key issues.
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court, which handles all of the state’s appeals cases, saw its lowest docketed caseload in more than two decades, with a decrease in each type of case. The two categories that saw the greatest percentage in docketed decrease were writs for certiorari, which dropped by 11 percent and civil appeals which dropped by 10 percent. Criminal appeals dropped by 5 percent while miscellaneous appeals dropped by 7 percent.
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Once again the Supreme Court also disposed of more appeals than were docketed. In 2000, dispositions totaled 564 cases and included 261 written decisions.
Superior Court
Superior Court, the state’s trial court, saw a 3.5 percent increase in felony filings in 2000, but the number still remained lower than the 1997 and 1998 levels. More than 67 percent of the state’s felony filings were disposed of within 180 days.
Misdemeanor filings dropped sharply in 2000 as filings in Providence/Bristol County decreased by approximately 63 percent. In the other three counties, misdemeanor filings increased from last year with Kent and Newport Counties showing their highest level of filings in five years.
The number of civil cases heard in Superior Court during 2000 remained relatively the same from the previous year with more than 3,000 cases being heard.
The state’s first Adult Drug Court, aimed at reducing drug crimes by providing court supervised treatment to drug offenders as opposed to incarceration, was created in 2000
Family Court
Family Court experienced an increase in filings after a steady decline between 1996 and 1999. In all, more than 21,500 cases were filed, an increase of 2.6 percent compared to the year before. There was a 7 percent rise in the juvenile filings and a 4 percent rise in divorce petitions. The two other major categories, abuse filings and child support petitions, were both slightly lower than the previous year.
The state also created its first truancy court, with four fully operational courts around the state.
Workers’ Compensation
Petitions continued to rise in Workers’ Compensation Court for the second year in a row, though the number of new claims filed was sill lower than the 1996 and 1997 levels. More than 7,827 petitions were filed in 2000, representing a 4 percent increase. The state judiciary attributes the increase to a 7 percent jump in the filing of employee petitions. The filing of employer petitions declined by 6 percent.
District Court
District Court filings increased 3.6 percent in 2000, reaching a total of 66,713.
Three of the state’s four divisions recorded increased filings, while Kent County
recorded a 7.7 percent decrease. Washington County saw the greatest increase with
15 percent, while Newport County recorded a 7.6 percent increase, and Providence/Bristol
recorded an increase of only 5 percent.
Traffic Tribunal
Although the number of summonses issued to the Rhode Island Traffic Tribunal in
2000 increased by 11,806 from 1999, the number was still lower than those in the
three prior years. In a continuing effort to eliminate a backlog that has plagued
the court, more than 123,000 summonses were disposed of in 2000, resulting in
a disposition rate of 140 percent of the summonses issued.
A.G.’s report
The Attorney General’s office has just released its 2000 Law Enforcement Report.
The year 2000 was the 350th Anniversary of the Department of the Attorney
General in Rhode Island, and the second year of Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse’s
administration. Whitehouse said the second year was more successful than the last.
“Our first year was a year of reform and restructuring,” said Whitehouse. “In
2000 we have been able to put some of these reforms to the test.”
Whitehouse said these reforms included:
Charging armed criminals under tough new firearms statute, passed by the General
Assembly at Whitehouse’s urging
The Community Prosecutor program on Camp Street and the “Kindling Project” in
South Providence, which began to have an effect in the neighborhoods.
Drug Courts operating in the Family and Superior Courts as the focus broadens
to community and prevention issues
Investigating the tragic shooting of Providence Police Officer Cornel Young, Jr.
An independent grand jury investigative team under new grand jury rules conducted
the investigation.
Revamping the witness protection after the tragic murder of a witness. The previous
Witness Protection Program had not been updated in years despite at least seven
deaths in the 1990s.
Beginning work protecting health care employees and patients from latex allergies,
and working to assure comfort and dignity in end-of-life care after resolution
of the proposed Liefespan/Care New England merger, made possible by the new Office
of Health Care Advocate
Filing suit against the lead paint industry to get them to help clean up lead
paint affected areas in Rhode Island.
