When we think about reforms to our criminal legal system, often our minds go big-picture. We may think of sweeping reforms to sentencing and bail practices, the removal of mandatory minimum sentences and pay-to stay fees. While these large reforms are certainly ideals we should work towards, bipartisan support around such reforms is limited, especially here in Ohio. However, this doesn’t mean criminal legal reform is impossible—there are common-sense changes that can be made to our systems, making them work better for folks on both sides of the bench.
Enter court date reminder systems: Similar to the texts you receive reminding you of a dentist appointment or haircut; these reminders notify folks of an upcoming court date or hearing, thereby helping to reduce the likelihood of no-shows. The problem? Only 18 states and D.C. have statewide court date reminder programs, and not all case types within these states are eligible to receive reminders¹. Ohio currently does not have a statewide court date reminder program, so existing programs vary from county to county, and even from court to court within the same county. This is an opportunity to make our systems more effective, at a low cost—and with bi-partisan appeal.
Research shows court date reminders are effective at reducing missed court hearings. A recent meta-analysis of 12 studies found reductions in the rate of missed appearances ranging from 11% to as much as 61%². When folks miss their court dates, costs incur for people on both sides of the bench. Judges, clerks, and other administrative staff still must be paid for their time and complete extra paperwork, resulting in lower court efficiency. For the individual that misses their court appearance, the consequences are more dire. Bench warrants may be issued, or their driver’s license suspended—resulting in arrests that may impact their employment and stability. While there are costs for setting up court reminder systems, in the long run, courts will save money and resources used in response to non-appearances—not to mention, the cost of reminder programs represents a fraction of the total cost of states’ judiciary budgets³.
Ohio has an opportunity to make common-sense changes through the implementation of a state-wide court reminder system. Statewide programs provide standards and universalize systems of operation for courts and those within the justice system. Efforts have already been made to standardize citation information gathered in our state. In 2021, a Model Uniform Traffic Ticket was implemented across the state of Ohio⁴. This ticket gathers information such as a person’s phone number and email address—it even has a place on the citation form to opt-in to text notifications, which would make the implementation of a statewide reminder system easier than ever.
Establishing a comprehensive, common-sense court reminder program has the potential to keep folks out of jail for simply forgetting their court date, lowers administrative costs for courts, and reduces resources used by law enforcement when issuing bench warrants and completing arrests. We suggest a court reminder system be issued statewide, for a better justice system—if only incrementally, that works towards a better Ohio.
¹“States Underuse Court Date Reminders,” The Pew Charitable Trusts, 2025,
https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2025/05/states-underuse-court-date-reminders
²Samantha A. Zottola et al., “Court Date Reminders Reduce Court Nonappearance: A Meta ‐
Analysis,” Criminology & Public Policy 22, no. 1 (2023): 97-
123, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1745-9133.12610.
³“States Underuse Court Date Reminders.”
4 “Court Approves New Model Uniform Traffic Ticket,” Court News Ohio, 2020,
https://www.courtnewsohio.gov/happening/2020/MUTTUpdate_042020.asp
