Court Appearance & FTA Prevention (Reminders and Supports)

Pipeline 03C

Transparency note: appearance/FTA counts can be small in monthly slices and sensitive to definition changes (e.g., grace periods, remote options). We pool small-n cells and annotate any series breaks tied to policy or vendor changes.

Overview

Most missed appearances are logistical, not willful. Jurisdictions use multi-channel reminders, transportation support, and accessible scheduling to reduce failures to appear (FTA). Consistent definitions and timestamped audit trails help compare appearance rates across courts and stages, from initial hearing through review dates and review of compliance.

What We Track

Reminder Systems

Cadence configured (e.g., 7/3/1-day)
Contact language & preferred channel (SMS/voice/mail/portal)
Confirmation, reschedule, and “need help” workflows enabled

Transportation & Logistics

Bus vouchers or mileage stipends available
Rideshare coordination documented (pickup windows)
Remote appearance option with tech check & backup plan

Scheduling Practices

Evening/weekend calendars where feasible
School-aware timing to reduce conflicts
Interpreter access arranged & confirmed
Caregiver coordination and reminders synced

Definitions & Outcomes

On-time appearance / late-but-excused / FTA (unexcused)
Grace periods & same-day cures applied consistently
Warrant issuance or recall rules documented

Equity & Geography

Appearance & FTA disparities monitored by race/ethnicity, language, and rurality
Disparity changes annotated when reminder vendors, messaging, or definitions change (series breaks)

Simple Flow

Calendar set with youth/caregiver contact prefs and interpreter needs recorded
- Confirm channels (SMS/voice/mail/portal) and preferred language
- Note transportation assistance and remote-appearance eligibility
Reminders sent (e.g., 7/3/1-day cadence) with reschedule & transportation options
- Track delivery/reads and confirmations
- Offer easy reschedule and “request a ride” links
Day-of support (transport, remote link, check-in) and attendance logging
- Provide directions, parking, security, or device test
- Log arrival time and accommodations used (interpreter, remote)
If missed: apply grace/cure rules, attempt contact, determine excused vs. unexcused
- Document outreach attempts and reason codes
- Use same-day cure where permissible; avoid automatic warrants
Resolution: appearance restored, new date set, or warrant issued/recalled with audit trail
- Record warrant decisions with rationale and recall criteria
- Close loop with updated reminders and transportation options

Fields

Field	Type	Required	Codeset	Description
pipeline_place_id	uuid	✅	—	Unique identifier for this pipeline place row.
pipeline_stage_id	enum	✅	stages.yml#stage_key(8) intake detention adjudication disposition supervision commitment_and_placement reentry closure	One of the 8 canonical stages.
pipeline_place_key	enum	✅	pipeline_places.yml#place_key(45) intake pre_petition_diversion_and_deflection diversion youth_assessment_tools prosecutorial_screening status_offenses adjudication case_planning family_engagement case_timeliness language_access restorative_justice detention_screening community_atds electronic_monitoring court_appearance_and_fta initial_hearing pretrial_supervision probation intensive_supervision …and 25 more	Canonical key for this place (maps to route/slug).
youth_id	string	✅	—	Salted/hashed or state UID. No plaintext PII.
staff_id	string		—	Staff primary actor for this place, if applicable.
occurred_datetime	datetime	✅	—	Timestamp when the appearance support plan was initialized or updated.
jurisdiction_code	string	✅	—	County/parish/circuit or standardized local code.
location_site_id	string		—	Courthouse/site code or remote host site.
actor_role_code	enum		roles.yml#actor_role(7) Intake_Officer Prosecutor Defender Probation_Officer Case_Manager Facility_Staff Coach_Reentry	Role primarily responsible for the reminders/logistics workflow.
legal_case_id	string		—	Docket/case identifier.
source_system	string	✅	—	Origin system name.
source_file	string		—	Source batch/file id if flatfile.
extract_run_id	string		—	ETL run id for lineage.
series_break_flag	boolean		—	Comparability break applies to this row.
series_break_reason	enum		series_breaks.yml#reason(4) definition_change vendor_change coverage_change policy_change	Reason for break when flagged (e.g., vendor_change, definition_change).
hearing_datetime_scheduled	datetime	✅	—	Scheduled date/time of the hearing.
hearing_type_code	enum		hearing_types.yml#type(5) initial review violation adjudication_related other	Hearing type (initial, review, violation, adjudication_related, other).
reminder_cadence_code	enum		reminder_cadences.yml#cadence(3) 7_3_1_day 3_1_day 1_day_only	Reminder schedule (e.g., 7_3_1_day, 3_1_day, 1_day_only).
preferred_channel_codes	array<string>		contact_channels.yml#channel(4) sms voice mail portal	Preferred contact channels (sms, voice, mail, portal); semicolon-delimited in CSV.
preferred_language_code	enum		language_codes.yml#code(7) en es vi ar zh fr other	Preferred language for communications.
caregiver_sync_flag	boolean		—	Caregiver contact preferences synced with youth reminders.
interpreter_required_flag	boolean		—	Interpreter requested/required for the hearing.
interpreter_confirmed_flag	boolean		—	Interpreter confirmed for the hearing time/place.
calendar_slot_type_code	enum		calendar_slot_types.yml#slot_type(3) evening weekend school_aware	Slot practices (evening, weekend, school_aware).
transport_support_codes	array<string>		❌ missing in _index.yml	Supports offered (bus_voucher, mileage_stipend, rideshare_coordination); semicolon-delimited in CSV.
rideshare_pickup_window_start	datetime		—	Scheduled pickup window start, if rideshare coordinated.
rideshare_pickup_window_end	datetime		—	Scheduled pickup window end.
remote_appearance_flag	boolean		—	Remote appearance option enabled.
remote_platform_code	enum		remote_platforms.yml#platform(4) video_zoom video_teams phone_bridge court_portal	Platform used (video_zoom, video_teams, phone_bridge, court_portal).
tech_check_datetime	datetime		—	Tech check/test completed timestamp.
backup_plan_code	enum		backup_plans.yml#plan(3) phone_bridge on_site_kiosk reschedule_window	Backup plan if remote fails (phone_bridge, on_site_kiosk, reschedule_window).
reminders_sent_count	integer		—	Number of reminders sent for this hearing.
reminders_delivered_count	integer		—	Number of reminders confirmed delivered by vendor.
reminder_delivery_status_code	enum		delivery_statuses.yml#status(4) delivered bounced opt_out unreachable	Final/most-recent delivery status (delivered, bounced, opt_out, unreachable).
confirmation_status_code	enum		confirmation_statuses.yml#status(9) initiated acknowledged reschedule_requested need_help no_response matched_pending_steward confirmed not_confirmed revoked	acknowledged, reschedule_requested, need_help, no_response.
confirmation_datetime	datetime		—	Timestamp of the first confirmation/response captured.
reschedule_reason_code	enum		reschedule_reasons.yml#reason(4) work_school_conflict transportation illness other	If reschedule requested, reason (work_school_conflict, transportation, illness, other).
hearing_datetime_rescheduled	datetime		—	New scheduled hearing date/time, if rescheduled.
day_of_support_codes	array<string>		day_of_supports.yml#support(4) directions_sent parking_info security_check_guidance onsite_navigation	Supports provided day-of (directions_sent, parking_info, security_check_guidance, onsite_navigation); semicolon-delimited.
check_in_datetime	datetime		—	Youth check-in timestamp (on-site or remote join time).
accommodations_used_codes	array<string>		accommodations.yml#accommodation(3) interpreter_used remote_link_used accessibility_support	Accommodations used (interpreter_used, remote_link_used, accessibility_support); semicolon-delimited.
arrival_status_code	enum		arrival_statuses.yml#status(4) on_time late_excused late_unexcused no_show	on_time, late_excused, late_unexcused, no_show.
arrival_delta_minutes	integer		—	Minutes early/late relative to scheduled start (negative allowed if early).
appearance_outcome_code	enum	✅	appearance_outcomes.yml#outcome(3) on_time late_but_excused fta_unexcused	on_time, late_but_excused, fta_unexcused.
grace_applied_flag	boolean		—	Grace period/same-day cure applied per policy.
same_day_cure_flag	boolean		—	Youth cured the FTA same day under policy.
cure_datetime	datetime		—	Timestamp cure was achieved (if applicable).
outreach_attempt_count	integer		—	Count of outreach attempts after a miss.
outreach_method_codes	array<string>		outreach_methods.yml#method(4) sms voice home_visit counsel_contact	Methods used in outreach (sms, voice, home_visit, counsel_contact); semicolon-delimited.
fta_reason_code	enum		fta_reasons.yml#reason(5) transportation forgot illness conflict other	Reason recorded for non-appearance (transportation, forgot, illness, conflict, other).
warrant_action_code	enum		warrant_actions.yml#action(3) none issued recalled	none, issued, recalled.
warrant_action_datetime	datetime		—	Timestamp warrant action occurred (issue/recall).
warrant_rationale_code	enum		warrant_rationales.yml#rationale(3) public_safety repeated_miss other	Documented rationale per policy (public_safety, repeated_miss, other).
Download CSVwhat_we_track.csv

Data & Methods

Appearance metrics use hearing-level denominators. The primary indicator is appearance rate with companion measures for FTAs and excused absences. Reminder delivery and read/confirmation logs are event timestamps; transportation assistance is recorded as a service flag. When reminder vendors, messaging logic, or FTA definitions change, we mark series breaks. Small-n suppression follows Suppression & Small-n. For exposure and timing conventions, see Time Series & Seasonality and for cross-site comparability see Cross-Jurisdiction Comparability. Data exchange and audit trails align with Real-Time & Version Control and Data Quality & Validation.

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