In the United States, missing a court date can be as common as missing a doctor’s appointment, but the stakes are much higher. In 49 states, missing a court appearance is considered a crime, one that can lead to automatic arrest warrants in many jurisdictions, such as Sacramento County, California. Nonappearance in court increases jail time and burdens the government with higher costs.

Missed court dates often deepen people’s involvement in the legal system and are associated with negative outcomes including increased likelihood of pleading guilty, greater sentencing disparities, and higher chances of rearrest. Failures to appear (FTAs) exacerbate the nation's already high incarceration rates, especially for communities of color. Although “failure to appear” may imply intentional fleeing from court, the reality is often far more innocuous. People may forget their court dates because of the demands of daily life, miss them because of unclear communication, or be reluctant to show up for fear of the legal system. Resource constraints, such as a lack of child care or unreliable transportation, also contribute to missed appearances.

Research shows that a number of court reminder methods—texts, emails, robocalls, live calls, and postcards—can significantly improve court appearance rates (PDF) by providing essential information and planning assistance.

Sacramento County’s Mailed Reminder Initiative

To address missed court dates in Sacramento County, in 2023 the Sacramento County Superior Court partnered with the nonprofit organization ideas42 to build better systems and policies to help more people show up at court and avoid the adverse effects of even a single nonappearance through mailed reminders. The reminders consist of a clearly labeled envelope with a prompt to "open today" containing a letter with critical information about the court date, the consequences of missing it, and tips for preparing for court. The information is designed to be clear and easily understandable. Sacramento County began mailing reminders to people charged with misdemeanors with upcoming arraignments on or after January 1, 2023.

ideas42 recommends using multiple channels when possible, to allow recipients to choose the reminder method that works best for them. But courts often face barriers to sending electronic reminders, such as a lack of access to phone numbers and email addresses. Since Sacramento County lacked the infrastructure for an effective text or email reminder system, it worked within its jurisdiction’s restrictions and started with mailed reminders.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mailed Court Reminders

As part of this intervention, ideas42 tested the effectiveness of this mailed reminder system using Catalyst Grant Program funding and found that mailed reminders are an effective tool for improving court appearance rates and preventing costly consequences for individuals, the court, and other legal agencies. Using a quasi-experimental design comparing court appearance rates from the 12 months of 2022 (prereminder) to the 12 months of 2023 (postreminder), it found that mailed reminders prevented more than 1,000 nonappearances for misdemeanor arraignments in the county in 2023. Overall, mailed reminders reduced nonappearance rates by 8.2 percentage points for all arraignments. For first arraignments the reminders reduced the nonappearance rate by 7.3 percentage points, and for those with returning arraignments they reduced it by 10 percentage points.

The study also revealed the following important insights into how different income, age, and racial and ethnic groups responded to the reminders:

• Income: Reminders effectively reduced missed court appearances for all income levels. For first arraignments, the impact of mailed reminders was similar across all incomes. For returning arraignments, reminders reduced missed court appearances for middle-income people the most, and people in the lowest income category were less likely to benefit, possibly because of outdated or otherwise inaccurate mailing addresses. This highlights the ongoing need to update contact information, as people in lower-income categories may experience more frequent address changes.
• Age: Younger people (ages 18 to 30) and older people (51 and older) responded better to the reminders for first arraignments, as their nonappearance rates fell significantly. However, there was no statistically significant difference across age groups among returning arraignments.
• Race and ethnicity: The effectiveness of the reminders was consistent across racial and ethnic groups, though baseline appearance rates differed.

These findings highlight the need for tailored approaches that address the unique challenges faced by different demographic groups, particularly people with lower incomes and less stable housing.

In addition to reducing missed court dates, the mail reminders resulted in cost savings for the county. The cost of implementing the mailed reminders was relatively low—about $10,973 for 2023. Yet the benefits were substantial. Each prevented nonappearance saved the legal system and individuals nearly $2,850, which translates to a $290 benefit for each $1 spent on mailed reminders.

Following the success of the mail court reminder program, Sacramento is exploring the possibility of adding a text and email reminder system to ensure broader reach, with mail reminders serving as a backup.

Court Reminders Are a Powerful Tool and Should Be Paired with Other Supports

The success of Sacramento County's mailed reminder system demonstrates that simple, cost-effective interventions can significantly improve court appearance rates. Court reminders with clear and concise information shared through mail, text, and email, are a powerful evidence-based tool in the fight against missed court dates, offering a straightforward way to support people in fulfilling their legal obligations while reducing the negative consequences for people and strain on the judicial system. Insights from this project and others can help other jurisdictions improve their court reminder content and strategies, ensuring their approaches are tailored to the needs and priorities of their local populations.

While court reminders are one of the most effective, evidence-based interventions available, they are even more powerful when paired with additional supports. A holistic approach—including wraparound services, like free rides, child care support, and extended court hours—helps address barriers that prevent people from appearing in court. Engaging people directly affected by the legal system in designing these programs ensures that solutions are responsive to community members’ needs and effectively address the barriers they face. By implementing strategies that provide comprehensive support, jurisdictions can better support individuals, improve court appearance rates, and reduce the impact of pretrial detention, ultimately benefiting both the legal system and communities. If your jurisdiction aims to make pretrial systems more equitable and efficient by adopting practices that help court users participate in necessary hearings, consider the strategies detailed in ideas42’s National Guide for Improving Court Appearances (PDF).

The Catalyst Grant Program is a collaboration between the Urban Institute and the Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative to help nonprofit organizations use data and technology to advance racial equity in the criminal legal system. Visit the Catalyst Grant Program Insights page for more resources and stories about the grantees.