Research Question Do text messages to mobile phones of victims and witnesses two or three days before they are scheduled to appear in court reduce their non-appearance rates in minor criminal cases? Data A sample of 811 victims and witnesses sent a postal notice to attend a specific magistrates court in Staffordshire on a specific date. Cambridge Crime Harm Index value of the criminal charges, court appearance and trial outcome data were collected in all cases. Methods A text message reminder was randomly assigned to be sent to 405 treatment cases 2-3 days before the court trial date. Treatment as delivered comprised 84 percent of the treatment group. Findings The base rate of victims and witnesses not attending magistrates' trials prior to the RCT was 26 percent. The non-attendance rate during the RCT was 22 percent in the control group and 24 percent in the treatment group. A 14 percent higher guilty rate for trials attended by the treatment group than the control group was marginally significant. No treatment-control differences in attendance were found when moderated by crime type or Crime Harm Index score. Conclusion Do text messages to mobile phones of victims and witnesses two or three days before they are scheduled to appear in court reduce their non-appearance rates in minor criminal cases? A sample of 811 victims and witnesses sent a postal notice to attend a specific magistrates court in Staffordshire on a specific date. Cambridge Crime Harm Index value of the criminal charges, court appearance and trial outcome data were collected in all cases. A text message reminder was randomly assigned to be sent to 405 treatment cases 2-3 days before the court trial date. Treatment as delivered comprised 84 percent of the treatment group. The base rate of victims and witnesses not attending magistrates' trials prior to the RCT was 26 percent. The non-attendance rate during the RCT was 22 percent in the control group and 24 percent in the treatment group. A 14 percent higher guilty rate for trials attended by the treatment group than the control group was marginally significant. No treatment-control differences in attendance were found when moderated by crime type or Crime Harm Index score. A text message in isolation did not significantly affect victim and witness attendance at criminal cases in the three magistrates' courts. However, it does show that texting is a reliable, quick and cheap method of communicating with witnesses.
This Nudge Was Not Enough: A Randomised Trial of Text Message Reminders of Court Dates to Victims and Witnesses
NCJ Number
253602
Journal
Cambridge Journal of Evidence Based Policing Issue: 2 Dated: 2018 Pages: 35-51
Date Published
2018
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article details a research study that investigated if text messages to mobile phones prior to scheduled court dates affected victim and witness non-appearance rates in minor criminal cases.
Abstract