SJC Exchange Library

Originally posted by Alissa Fishbane on 05/20/2025

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi everyone,

Our new guide, "Improving Court Attendance: The Essential Guide to Court Reminder Programs," grounded in evidence and real-world experience, provides a clear roadmap for how courts can implement effective reminder programs to prevent missed appearances, reduce warrants, and unlock massive savings.

The guide's key recommendations include:

• Collect contact information early and often to ensure reminders are sent before the first court date and that information is up-to-date,
• Use automatic enrollment with the ability to opt out to drastically increase participation and impact.
• Choose the best technology based on ease, functionality, and cost-effectiveness.
• Craft effective reminders using messages proven to work best.

How reminder programs improve efficiency:

Our research shows that a primary driver of nonappearance is simple forgetfulness, something easily addressed with reminders. Here are some of the dramatic benefits offered by reminder programs:

• Reduce Nonappearance: Rigorous evaluations show that court reminders reduce nonappearance by 20–40%.
  
• Save Money: We conservatively estimate that each missed court date costs the government ~$1,500 (or $1.5 million saved for every 1,000 more court dates attended). Reminders save time and money for courts, attorneys, law enforcement, and jails.
• Improve Efficiency and Justice: Reminders streamline court operations, reduce case backlogs, and free up staff time. They resolve cases faster while decreasing warrants issued and jail bookings.
  
  

We hope you find this guide useful – and don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or for support in setting up court reminders.

Warmly,
Alissa
(Un)warranted at ideas42