New Yorkers charged with minor crimes will soon be getting text messages to remind them of court appearances to reduce the dismal rate of no-shows. The de Blasio administration and the state court system are aiming to ease a backlog of criminal cases in the courts and cut down on the number of people slapped with arrest warrants when they fail to appear. Last year, nearly 40% of people issued a summons didn’t appear, and 135,143 warrants were issued. Cops started giving out new summons forms at the beginning of March. When people who got the new form are due in court – starting around the second week of April – they’ll get text messages reminding them to show up.
Text messages will remind New Yorkers charged with minor crimes of their court appearances
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