HIGHLIGHTS

• Reminding people about upcoming court dates can dramatically reduce nonappearance.
• Though criminal court reminders could take the form of texts or calls, we demonstrated that mailed letters with corresponding envelopes are effective.
• Simple, inexpensive interventions like reminders save money and time for both the people appearing and for the court system.

The Challenge

In the United States, small fees may be charged for missing a doctor’s appointment, yet missing a court appointment results in steeper consequences: it is considered a crime in 49 states. In most jurisdictions, including Sacramento County in California, an arrest warrant is automatically issued for missed court appearances, which can lead to increased jail time for people and higher administrative costs for the government. The Sacramento Superior Court partnered with ideas42 to help more people show up at court and avoid the negative effects of even a single nonappearance. 

Our Approach

We designed a reminder letter and envelope to address some of the reasons people miss their court dates. Sacramento County began mailing reminders to people with court dates on or after January 1, 2023.

Reminder Envelope

Clearly states the purpose of the communication; includes a specific call to action; color differentiation grabs attention.

Reminder Letter

Friendly reminder sets a positive tone; key information (date, time, location) and consequences are clearly communicated;
helpful tips and contact information are provided for additional support.

To measure their impact, we used a quasi-experimental design approach called regression discontinuity in time. Specifically, we compared appearance rates for the 12 months of 2022 (baseline period) to appearance rates for the 12 months of 2023. This method allows us to compare changes in appearance rates before and after the reminders were started, controlling for changes in the composition of misdemeanor cases over time, to measure the causal effect of the reminders. 

To learn more about our approach, view the project brief.

Results

Mailed reminders prevented 1,115 nonappearances for Sacramento County in 2023, and their impact is expected to continue over time. Overall, mailed reminders reduced nonappearance by 8.2 percentage points, or a 16% decrease from a baseline rate of 51%. For first arraignments, reminders reduced nonappearance by 7.2 percentage points, or 15.7% from a baseline rate of 45.7%. Returning arraignments saw nonappearance reduced by 10 percentage points, or a 16.8% decrease from a baseline rate of 59.6%. 

To achieve this impact, Sacramento County invested in the following per mailing: envelopes ($0.07), paper ($0.01), and postage ($0.63). With 15,455 reminders sent in 2023, the total implementation cost was $10,973.05 or $9.84 per nonappearance avoided.

From previous literature and conversations with courts across the United States, we estimate that each prevented nonappearance benefits legal stakeholders (the court, attorneys, and law enforcement) $1,496. It benefits individuals $1,354 (e.g., this accounts for lost income, fines and fees, and other costs). Together, these reminders lead to a benefit of $2,850. For 2023, this translates to $3.2 million in total benefits or roughly $290 benefit for each $1 spent on mailed reminders. 

View the project brief for more details on these results.

Takeaway

Mailed reminders are an effective tool to improve court appearance rates and prevent the costly consequences for individuals, the court, and other legal agencies. Overall, mailed reminders reduced the court nonappearance rate by a large and significant margin and are a very low-cost intervention to run.

Based on these results, we continue to highly recommend reminders as one of the most impactful and cost-effective ways to increase court appearance, reduce harm to involved individuals, and decrease government costs and inefficiency.

This work is part of (Un)warranted, our initiative to improve court appearance across the country. Through (Un)warranted, we bring our proven expertise in reforming court date communications to effectively prevent nonappearance and its harmful consequences. Contact us at unwarranted@ideas42.org for questions or support in redesigning and evaluating court date forms and reminders.