Document Category: Failures to Appear

This section of a motion for pretrial release can be used by defenders in jurisdictions that have adopted an automatic text reminder system for court dates to strengthen an argument that their client poses no flight risk. This is based on research showing that these text reminder systems reduce missed court dates, indicating that a major reason for failures to appear is simple forgetfulness. This research can also be used to advocate for the creation of an automatic text reminder program in jurisdictions without one or to help explain a prior failure to appear that occurred before such a reminder system was in place.