A stubborn myth is undermining court efficiency: that people miss court because they don’t respect the process or don’t think it’s important. But ample research now tells a different story.
People miss court because life is messy — and remembering is hard. That’s why nearly every industry that relies on attendance — from doctors to restaurants — sends reminders. Courts should do the same.
Some courts are already sending reminders, and they are realizing the benefits. For example, at Georgia’s City of Riverdale Court, Court Services Director Nate Mingo, worked with the (Un)warranted team at the nonprofit ideas42 to implement reminders before upcoming hearings and after someone missed a court date. Importantly, his approach helped reframe how we understand missed court dates, not as defiance but as an expected part of the process. His goal was to send a message that says, “’Hey, we know you missed your court date. We know things happen. Just give us a call and we can reschedule it, because we don’t want people to be intimidated.”1
This reframing is crucial. Often, a court no-show is seen as defiance. But when we miss appointments, we blame the situation: sick kid, flat tire, or deadline at work. People — all people — forget things sometimes, especially under stress. Courts should design smart processes by expecting forgetfulness and preventing it with reminders.
The Problem
Missed court appearances are common, costly, and consistently overlooked. Nationally, 20-50% of court dates are missed,2 and in just 13 states, over 2.5 million warrants were issued in one year for failure to appear or pay.3 That’s more people than live in New Mexico alone.
Each missed appearance can cost governments approximately $1,500 in staff time, paperwork, and delays.4 For a state like North Carolina, with at least 250,000 missed court dates a year,5 that adds up to $375 million in system costs alone. That’s $1 million more than the Hurricane Helene Relief bill passed in North Carolina in 2024.
And the cost is not just financial: missed court dates delay justice and increase stress on already stretched court staff by dragging out cases, adding to backlogs, tanking resolution rates, and increasing existing heavy workloads. Courts are stretched thin, in both personnel and budgets, and every preventable missed court date exacerbates these limits.
The Solution
The good news? This is one of the rare problems in the criminal justice system with a proven, simple fix. Court date reminders reduce missed appearances by 20-40%.6 The key isn’t just sending a message. It’s sending the right message at the right time using the right technology for your court.
Done right, reminders are a low-cost, high-impact tool that help people show up and improve court operation efficiency.7
Key Steps in an Effective Reminder Program
The Foundation: Enroll Everyone Early
Automatically enroll everyone into reminders, with a welcome message that includes the option to opt out. This will greatly increase participation without requiring additional steps from court users. When Colorado implemented automatic enrollment for court reminders, participation increased 300% with minimal opt outs.
Collect contact information early — that is, before the first out-of-custody hearings. This means law enforcement should collect phone numbers on citations or during booking before release. The Jail Management System then needs to share that information with the court’s Case Management System (CMS) to facilitate reminders. Courts must partner with law enforcement stakeholders to collect phone numbers at the very first interaction with the system to ensure reminders are sent in a timely manner and before any hearings.
Delivery and Technology: Building What Works
When sending reminders, use multiple delivery methods (text, email, mail) based on what’s feasible for your court and what forms of contact information you have on hand. While snail mail may seem old fashioned, it still works. For example, when the Sacramento Superior Court mailed reminders to everyone with an arraignment, the nonappearance rate dropped from 51% to 43%.8
Your best technology solution for reminders will depend on your court’s capabilities. Overall, reminders typically cost $1 or less per case, making the return on investment spectacular. As previously mentioned, on average there is a $1,500 system cost for a missed court date.
There are three types of reminder systems to consider implementing:
- Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Build: Your court IT Department can build its own system to integrate with your CMS, offering maximum functionality and flexibility.
- Specialty Communications Platform: An outside vendor offers full services, which require low technical expertise for the court and its staff, while also ensuring high flexibility and functionality.
- Turnkey: CMS vendors may offer embedded basic reminder services that can be activated at additional cost. This system typically offers the least flexibility, with limited ability to offer varied messages.
Timing and Content: The Right Message
It’s not just about sending a reminder — it’s about sending the right message at the right moment.
Research shows that the most effective court reminders do more than just list a date and time; they also:
- Identify the consequences of missing court, including the possibility of an arrest warrant. Highlighting the consequences helps people weigh future consequences against whatever is pressing them in the moment. We suggest using motivating language such as, “Show up to court to avoid an arrest warrant.”
- Prompt plan-making by asking questions like, “What time do you need to leave to arrive on time?” and “Any other arrangements to make?” These prompts help people take steps to commit to their attendance, which can increase ultimate follow-through.
For people who have already missed a court date, messaging is especially important. Send notifications with clear instructions on how to cure the nonappearance (e.g., go to a “walk-in” docket, call or email the court to reschedule, etc.). For courts requiring people to come in person to court to cure the missed appearance, we strongly suggest making clear assurances that they will not be arrested when doing so. This is the population courts most need to re-engage, and they will fear returning due to the (real or perceived) risk of arrest. To avoid this dilemma, consider allowing people to reschedule their missed court appearance via email, phone, or online.
Timing also matters.
- Text messages can be sent 7, 3, and 1 day before the court date, with the earliest identifying consequences, the middle prompting plan-making, and the final message reiterating the consequences. For courts that choose only to send one reminder, we suggest sending this 3 days before to allow time for planning.
- Emails should be sent 14, 7, and 1 day before.
- Mailed reminders should be sent 14 days before to allow time for delivery and opening.
Conclusion
Missed court dates are an avoidable problem. With the right reminder program — built on simple, proven practices — courts can increase appearance rates, resolve cases more quickly, relieve pressure on staff, reduce unnecessary warrants, and improve fairness for the people they serve.
The problem is clear — and so is the solution.
Reminders work. It’s time to put them to work in every court.
You need not do this alone. The (Un)warranted team at ideas42 can help at no cost to your court. We offer tailored advice on all best practices, and for eligible courts, full-scale projects to improve all your court date communications.
- Email us at unwarranted@ideas42.org to apply.
- See our Guides:
About the Authors
Shannon McAuliffe is an Associate Managing Director at ideas42 and co-leads the (Un)warranted initiative aimed at improving court communications to increase appearances and reduce unnecessary warrants, and jail.
Nathaniel Mingo has been the Court Services Director for the City of Riverdale Municipal Court since 2006. Mr. Mingo oversees the Clerk of Court, Probation Departments, and Court Administration in that capacity. Before that appointment, Mr. Mingo served as court docket coordinator for the Fulton County Superior Court Clerks’ office. Mr. Mingo is also active in his state association, where he has served as President and is currently serving the association as a board member. Mr. Mingo holds a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies with concentrations in law and sociology, and he has also obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Management and Finance.
- Alyssa Johnson and Madeline Thigpen, “Could Texts Reduce Jailings? One Atlanta Suburb Says Yes.” Capital B Atlanta, April 2025, accessed August 2025, https://atlanta.capitalbnews.org/metro-atlanta-riverdale-text-reminders-court-no-shows/.
- Samuel A. Zottola, William E. Crozier, Deniz Ariturk, and Sarah L. Desmarais, “Court date reminders reduce court nonappearance: A meta‐analysis,” Criminology & Public Policy, 22, no.1 (2023); 97-123, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1745-9133.12610.
- Lillian Patil and Tanisha Pierrette, “Imposing Instability: How Court Fines and Fees Destabilize Government Budgets and Criminalize Those Who Cannot Pay,” Fines & Fees Justice Center, July 2025, https://finesandfeesjusticecenter.org/articles/imposing-instability/.
- Alissa Fishbane, Shannon McAuliffe, and Yiping Li, “Improving Court Attendance: The Essential Guide to Court Reminder Programs,” ideas42, May 2025, https://www.ideas42.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/i42-1530_RemindersRpt_Final.pdf.
- UNC School of Government Criminal Justice Innovation Lab, “North Carolina Court Appearance Project: Findings and Policy Solutions from New Hanover, Orange, and Robeson Counties,” April 2022, https://cjil.sog.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/19452/2022/04/NC-Court-Appearance-Project-Report-4-22-22.pdf.
- Zottola, et al., “Court date reminders reduce court nonappearance.”
- Fishbane, et al., “Improving Court Attendance: The Essential Guide to Court Reminder Programs.”
- ideas42, “Stamping Out Missed Court Dates: How Mailed Reminders Boost Appearance,” August 2024, https://www.ideas42.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Sacramento_Brief-Aug2024-1.pdf.
