(Un)warranted

Our goal is to prevent 500,000 missed court dates, and their resulting warrants and jail time, over the next five years with a proven solution that’s simple yet transformational: reimagining and reforming the communications people receive about their court dates using behavioral science.

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The Issue

Today, people all over the country will miss an appointment; it happens to everyone. Missing an appointment is an accepted, forgivable part of life — unless, of course, you miss a court date. Missing court, even for low-level charges like traffic violations or open alcohol containers, can lead to warrants, jail, and other significant consequences. In short, missed court dates can disrupt jobs and housing, harm well-being, and “mark” individuals for the rest of their lives. 

This problem is so large that more people are in jail for missing court than any other reason in areas across the United States. (Un)warranted works to break this cycle.

The Issue
A maze with various labeled sections including Transportation, Emergencies, Scarcity, Housing, Technology, Fear, Unclear Info, Mental/Behavioral, and Health, with a building in the center and ward-like pathways.
Our Solution

Our Solution

Helping people better understand, remember, and show up to court is a low-cost way to improve lives, save money, increase efficiency, and reduce strain across the system — all leading to fairer and more effective justice. Improved communications have already had significant impact:

  • ↓ 125,000

    fewer missed court dates

  • ↑ $375M

    in savings for governments and individuals

  • ↓ 36%

    reduction in missed court dates

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Evidence-based designs that work.

Resources

Resources

  • American Bar Endowment

  • Advancing Pretrial Policy and Research (APPR)

  • Alameda County, CA

  • American Civil Liberties Union

  • Americans for Prosperity

  • Arnold Ventures

  • Ballmer Group

  • Buckeye Institute

  • Californians for Safety and Justice 

  • Citizens for Effective Courts

  • City of Atlanta, GA

  • City of Dallas, TX

  • City of New York

  • City of Riverdale, GA

  • City of Scottsdale, AZ

  • Civil Rights Corps

  • Cobb County, GA

  • Conservatives for Criminal Justice Reform

Partnering with Us

(Un)warranted is a hub of expertise that creates positive change — bringing our proven experience to reduce nonappearance and its harmful consequences. We do so by making court date communications clearer and easier to act on, helping set up effective reminder programs, and catalyzing evidence-based policy.

Our work is actively informed by system actors, people directly impacted, and organizations serving local communities. It is also not possible without the financial support of individuals and organizations who deeply believe in the ways (Un)warranted is striving for change. We work together with advocates, community and justice organizations, funders, government (courts, district attorneys and public defenders, law enforcement, and others), and researchers, including:

Partners

  • eCourtDate

  • Financial Justice Project

  • Fines and Fees Justice Center

  • Georgia Justice Project

  • Hamilton County, OH

  • Harris County, TX

  • Healthcare for the Homeless

  • Individual Donors

  • J-PAL

  • Jefferson County, CO

  • MacArthur Foundation

  • Maricopa County, AZ

  • Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative

  • Montgomery County, AL

  • R Street

  • Sacramento County, CA

  • Safe and Just Michigan

  • San Francisco Traffic Law Clinic

  • Stand Together Trust

  • State of California

  • State of Georgia

  • State of New Mexico

  • State of Ohio

  • State of Texas

  • State of Virginia

  • Southern Poverty Law Center

  • Texas Jail Project

  • Texas Appleseed

  • The Bail Project

  • The Bronx Defenders

  • The Meadows Foundation

  • The Pew Charitable Trusts

  • Trusted Driver

  • Tulare County, CA

  • University of Chicago Crime Lab

  • Urban Institute

  • Voices Of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL-NY)

We know that jurisdictions and donors across the country can create fairer, more effective justice simply by helping people show up to court. Join us by emailing unwarranted@ideas42.org.

Testimonials

  • "As a judge, I want people to get to court and avoid warrants and suspended licenses. Let's stop people from missing court dates in the first place because that is better for the court and the community. If my mechanic can send a message about my upcoming oil change, it's crazy for a court not to send a message about a court date, especially when the consequences are so serious."

    — Judge Ryan Hope, State Court Athens-Clarke County, Georgia

  • "Our mission as sheriffs is to protect public safety, maintain secure facilities, and help reduce recidivism. Chasing and processing nonappearance warrants wastes valued resources better spent on real public safety priorities. Reminder programs are a powerful tool that keep eligible people where they belong pretrial — on the street, instead of unnecessarily clogging our jails."

    — Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, Suffolk County, Massachusetts

  • "In Harris County, reminders have significantly increased court appearance rates. As a result, our criminal courts, law enforcement, and jails dedicate more focus on serious offenses-and taxpayers get the break they deserve."

    — Commissioner Adrian Garcia, Harris County, Texas

  • "Following the introduction of text messaging reminders, the appearance rates for high-risk defendants have improved. Among our highest risk pretrial defendants who received text message reminders, appearance rates have increased by 15%."

    — Chief Judge Jeffrey R. Pilkington, First Judicial District, Colorado

  • "It's easy for judges to issue warrants but their consequences can devastate people's lives. Making courts more accessible through text reminders allows the Court to resolve more cases by increasing appearances and also reduces the burden on people who are already facing significant challenges. It's a win-win."

    — Judge Courtney Wachal, Kansas City Municipal Court, Missouri

  • "We get and rely on text reminders for everything from school to a dentist appointment. Court attendance is critical to the justice process. When defendants forget to appear, warrants are issued. When victims and witnesses fail to appear, cases get dismissed. Supplementing current notification methods with text reminders is a no brainer."

    — State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade County, Florida

  • "Thousands of warrants are needlessly issued every year, creating additional strains on an already strained corrections system. Using readily available technology to send court reminders can play a critical role in breaking the preventable cycle of re-arrest, incarceration and recidivism."

    — President Shawn Laughlin, American Jail Association

  • "When a person has a warrant solely because they forgot about their court date, a police officer's simple traffic stop becomes much more serious, complicated, and demanding than it needs to be. When reminders prevent these warrants, reminders help police."

    — Past President Louis Dekmar, International Association of Chiefs of Police/
    Chief of Police (Ret.), LaGrange, Georgia

  • "Since implementing changes to court date notifications and reminders, we have seen a significant reduction in missed appearances and last-minute rescheduling. Our team spends far less time on failures to appear, and case processing has become much more efficient. Court users appreciate the changes, and our overall compliance rates have significantly improved."

    — Chief Deputy Executive Officer Kelly Sullivan, Sacramento County Superior Court, California

  • "In my experience, the inherent stress of being a justice involved individual often obscures the specific court date set. Court date reminders have proven critically helpful to these people — and everyone else who would be directly or indirectly impacted by their missed court appearance."

    — Director James M. Retallick, Weber Public Defender Group, Weber County, Utah

In the News

News

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