{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,18]],"date-time":"2026-03-18T22:49:09Z","timestamp":1773874149842,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":63,"publisher":"American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)","issue":"40","content-domain":{"domain":["www.science.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Sci. Adv."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Millions of Americans must attend mandatory court dates every year. To boost appearance rates, jurisdictions nationwide are increasingly turning to automated reminders. However, previous research paints an incomplete picture of their effectiveness\u2014in particular, there has been little work assessing the impact of reminders on downstream arrests and incarceration. In partnership with the Santa Clara County Public Defender\u2019s Office, we randomly assigned 5709 public defender clients to either receive automated text message reminders (treatment) or not receive reminders (control). We found that reminders reduced warrants issued for missed court dates by ~20%, with 12.1% of clients in control issued a warrant compared to 9.7% of clients in treatment. Further, we found that incarceration from missed court dates dropped by a similar amount, from 6.6% in control to 5.2% in treatment. The effectiveness of reminders bolsters the theory that lapses in memory or comprehension contribute to missed court appearances.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.adx7483","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]],"date-time":"2025-10-01T17:58:40Z","timestamp":1759341520000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.34133\/aaas_crossmark","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Automated reminders reduce incarceration for missed court dates: Evidence from a text message experiment"],"prefix":"10.1126","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8279-6270","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alex","family":"Chohlas-Wood","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Statistics, Social Science, and Humanities, New York University, New York, NY 10012, USA."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-9819-8985","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Madison","family":"Coots","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8671-6557","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Joe","family":"Nudell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7121-5696","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Julian","family":"Nyarko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Stanford Law School, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3971-7127","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Emma","family":"Brunskill","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Todd","family":"Rogers","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6103-9318","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sharad","family":"Goel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"221","reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_2","unstructured":"National Conference of State Legislatures Pretrial Release Violations and Bail Forfeiture (National Conference of State Legislatures 2018); www.ncsl.org\/research\/civil-and-criminal-justice\/bail-forfeiture-procedures.aspx."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_2","unstructured":"B. A. Reaves Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties 2009 (U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics 2013)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/pam.22505"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_2","unstructured":"G. Jurva The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on state & local courts study 2021: A look at remote hearings legal technology case backlogs and access to justice (Thomson Reuters Institute 2021)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_2","first-page":"967","article-title":"Dangerous warrants","volume":"93","author":"Sekhon N.","year":"2018","unstructured":"N. Sekhon, Dangerous warrants. Wash. L. Rev. 93, 967\u20131016 (2018).","journal-title":"Wash. L. Rev."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_7_2","unstructured":"M. Rafael Paying the Price: New Mexico\u2019s Practice of Arresting and Incarcerating People for Nonpayment of Court Debt (Vera Institute of Justice 2024)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_8_2","unstructured":"R. Guynes R. Wolff Un-served Arrest Warrants: An Exploratory Study (Science Applications International Corporation 2004)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcrimjus.2014.04.005"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_10_2","unstructured":"B. Halbach-Singh S. Minion J. Peirce S. Kajeepeta J. Q. Ng J. Heiss Jail Charge Data Analysis and Jail Reduction Strategies for Douglas County Kansas (Douglas County Kansas 2022)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_11_2","unstructured":"L. A. Slocum B. Schaefer L. Torres B. Huebner T. Hughes Warrant Enforcement in Louisville Metro and the City of St. Louis from 2006\u20132019: A Cross-site Analysis (Data Collaborative for Justice 2020)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_12_2","unstructured":"J. Peirce M. Bailey S. Elbushra Rural Washington State Needs Criminal Legal System Reform (Vera Institute of Justice 2022)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_13_2","unstructured":"J. Smith T. Schuster Findings and Policy Solutions from New Hanover Orange and Robeson Counties (North Carolina Court Appearance Project 2022)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_14_2","unstructured":"G. Gilchrist B. McCormack Report and Recommendations (Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration 2020)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_15_2","unstructured":"N. Dholakia Millions of People in the U.S. Miss Their Court Date With Dire Consequences (Vera Institute of Justice 2024)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"T. Bergin R. Ropac I. Randolph H. Joseph The Initial Collateral Consequences of Pretrial Detention: Employment Residential Stability and Family Relationships (New York Criminal Justice Agency 2022).","DOI":"10.2139\/ssrn.4216882"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/socpro\/spz023"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_18_2","first-page":"3","article-title":"Is pretrial detention an effective deterrent? An analysis of failure to appear and rearrest says no","volume":"87","author":"Holsinger A. M.","year":"2023","unstructured":"A. M. Holsinger, C. T. Lowenkamp, T. C. Pratt, Is pretrial detention an effective deterrent? An analysis of failure to appear and rearrest says no. Fed. Probation 87, 3\u20137 (2023).","journal-title":"Fed. Probation"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1257\/aer.20161503"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_20_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-criminol-030920-112506"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_21_2","first-page":"11","article-title":"How pretrial incarceration diminishes individuals\u2019 employment prospects","volume":"86","author":"Smith S. S.","year":"2022","unstructured":"S. S. Smith, How pretrial incarceration diminishes individuals\u2019 employment prospects. Fed. Probation J. 86, 11\u201318 (2022).","journal-title":"Fed. Probation J."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_22_2","first-page":"129","article-title":"A wealth of inequalities: Mass incarceration, employment, and racial disparities in US household wealth, 1996 to 2011","volume":"2","author":"Sykes B. L.","year":"2016","unstructured":"B. L. Sykes, M. Maroto, A wealth of inequalities: Mass incarceration, employment, and racial disparities in US household wealth, 1996 to 2011. RSF J. Soc. Sci. 2, 129\u2013152 (2016).","journal-title":"RSF J. Soc. Sci."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_23_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"J. E. Humphries C. Macaire A. Ouss M. T. Stevenson W. van Dijk Revisiting the Lasting Impacts of Incarceration (Virginia Law and Economics Research Paper Series 2025-12 2025).","DOI":"10.2139\/ssrn.5283587"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_24_2","unstructured":"Pew Racial Disparities Persist in Many U.S. Jails (The Pew Charitable Trusts 2022)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_25_2","first-page":"775","article-title":"The downstream effects of bail and pretrial detention on racial disparities in incarceration","volume":"108","author":"Donnelly E. A.","year":"2018","unstructured":"E. A. Donnelly, J. M. MacDonald, The downstream effects of bail and pretrial detention on racial disparities in incarceration. J. Crim. Law Criminol. 108, 775\u2013814 (2018).","journal-title":"J. Crim. Law Criminol."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_26_2","first-page":"677","article-title":"Defining flight risk","volume":"85","author":"Gouldin L. P.","year":"2018","unstructured":"L. P. Gouldin, Defining flight risk. Univ. Chicago Law Rev. 85, 677\u2013742 (2018).","journal-title":"Univ. Chicago Law Rev."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_27_2","first-page":"1725","article-title":"Danger ahead: Risk assessment and the future of bail reform","volume":"93","author":"Koepke J. L.","year":"2018","unstructured":"J. L. Koepke, D. G. Robinson, Danger ahead: Risk assessment and the future of bail reform. Wash. Law Rev. 93, 1725\u20131807 (2018).","journal-title":"Wash. Law Rev."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_28_2","first-page":"1019","article-title":"Keeping Up Appearances","volume":"58","author":"Gouldin L. P.","year":"2024","unstructured":"L. P. Gouldin, Keeping Up Appearances. UC Davis L. Rev. 58, 1019\u20131090 (2024).","journal-title":"UC Davis L. Rev."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_29_2","unstructured":"A. Kofman \u201cDigital jail: How electronic monitoring drives defendants into debt \u201d New York Times Magazine 3 July 2019 [accessed 28 February 2024]; www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/03\/magazine\/digital-jail-surveillance.html."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_30_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41586-024-07591-x"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_31_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jebo.2014.12.008"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_32_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1257\/aer.20121493"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_33_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.2416708122"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_34_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1287\/mnsc.2015.2296"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_35_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1103170108"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_36_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00004010-200604000-00006"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_37_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2296-11-79"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_38_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0956797609359326"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_39_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.284.14.1820"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_40_2","unstructured":"A. Fishbane S. McAuliffe Y. Li Improving Court Attendance: The Essential Guide to Court Reminder Programs (ideas42 2025)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_41_2","first-page":"28","article-title":"The prevalence of local criminal justice practices","volume":"84","author":"Lattimore P. K.","year":"2020","unstructured":"P. K. Lattimore, S. Tueller, A. Levin-Rector, A. Witwer, The prevalence of local criminal justice practices. Fed. Probation J. 84, 28\u201337 (2020).","journal-title":"Fed. Probation J."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_42_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s41887-018-0024-4"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_43_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s41887-021-00071-6"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_44_2","unstructured":"T. L. Crozier The Court Hearing Reminder Project: If You Call Them They Will Come (King County District Court 2000)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_45_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11292-006-9001-1"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_46_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/1478601X.2015.1121875"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_47_2","first-page":"86","article-title":"Increasing court-appearance rates and other benefits of live-caller telephone court-date reminders: The Jefferson County, Colorado, FTA pilot project and resulting court date notification program","volume":"48","author":"Schnacke T. R.","year":"2012","unstructured":"T. R. Schnacke, M. R. Jones, D. M. Wilderman, Increasing court-appearance rates and other benefits of live-caller telephone court-date reminders: The Jefferson County, Colorado, FTA pilot project and resulting court date notification program. Court Rev. 48, 86\u201395 (2012).","journal-title":"Court Rev."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_48_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11292-020-09423-0"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_49_2","unstructured":"M. Nice Court appearance notification system: Process and outcome evaluation (Multnomah County Budget Office 2006)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_50_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s12103-022-09676-7"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_51_2","unstructured":"W. White Court hearing call notification project (Criminal Justice Coordinating Council & Flagstaff Justice Court Coconino County Arizona 2006)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_52_2","first-page":"96","article-title":"An experiment in the law: Studying a technique to reduce failure to appear in court","volume":"48","author":"Tomkins A. J.","year":"2012","unstructured":"A. J. Tomkins, B. Barnstein, M. N. Herian, D. I. Rosenbaum, An experiment in the law: Studying a technique to reduce failure to appear in court. Court Rev. 48, 96\u2013106 (2012).","journal-title":"Court Rev."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_53_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/1745-9133.12610"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_54_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s12103-016-9367-1"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_55_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1257\/pol.20220331"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_56_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.abb6591"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_57_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s12103-017-9393-7"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_58_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s41887-018-0023-5"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_59_2","unstructured":"C. T. Lowenkamp M. VanNostrand A. M. Holsinger The Hidden Costs of Pretrial Detention (The Laura and John Arnold Foundation 2013)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_60_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.econlet.2022.110540"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_61_2","first-page":"1","article-title":"Systemic failure to appear in court","volume":"172","author":"Graef L.","year":"2023","unstructured":"L. Graef, S. G. Mayson, A. Ouss, M. T. Stevenson, Systemic failure to appear in court. Univ. Pennsylvania. Law Rev. 172, 1\u201360 (2023).","journal-title":"Univ. Pennsylvania. Law Rev."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_62_2","unstructured":"A. Chohlas-Wood Understanding risk assessment instruments in criminal justice (Brookings Institution AI and Bias 2020)."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_63_2","first-page":"1993","article-title":"Improving access to justice in state courts with platform technology","volume":"70","author":"Prescott J. J.","year":"2017","unstructured":"J. J. Prescott, Improving access to justice in state courts with platform technology. Vand. L. Rev. 70, 1993\u20132050 (2017).","journal-title":"Vand. L. Rev."},{"key":"e_1_3_2_64_2","unstructured":"T. Rogers J. Lasky-Fink Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World (Penguin 2023)."}],"container-title":["Science Advances"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1126\/sciadv.adx7483","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]],"date-time":"2025-10-01T18:00:10Z","timestamp":1759341610000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.adx7483"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,3]]},"references-count":63,"journal-issue":{"issue":"40","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,3]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1126\/sciadv.adx7483"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/sciadv.adx7483","relation":{},"ISSN":["2375-2548"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2375-2548","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,3]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2025-04-13","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-09-03","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2025-10-01","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"eadx7483"}}