Shasta County Superior Court

The Shasta County Superior Court is working with J-PAL North America to test strategies for reducing the likelihood that defendants awaiting court processing in the community fail to appear (FTA) for their arraignment. FTAs can be costly for both individuals and the court system; when an individual FTAs, a warrant is issued. Law enforcement is made aware of the FTA warrants, but defendants currently are not notified that warrants have been issued by the Court. Thus, outstanding warrants may also result in defendants’ further entanglement with the criminal justice system without their awareness. Previous research suggests that behavioral nudges, like text messages and redesigned summons, can reduce FTAs. This partnership will explore several different ideas for reducing FTAs in Shasta County to test whether these interventions are effective at reducing FTAs.