Many of these cases—including those involving debt collection, eviction, traffic, and child guardianship—can have profound, life-changing implications, and communities of color are disproportionately affected by the outcomes.
But in today’s state and local legal systems, many cases that would benefit from a judge’s consideration never reach the bench while matters that could be effectively resolved outside of the courtroom are clogging dockets. By contrast, effective, modern systems would enable judicial and court staff to focus on the cases that require their expertise and attention, allowing them to better serve communities.
The Pew Charitable Trusts’ courts and communities project works to build open, effective, and equitable state and local legal systems that enable all people to meaningfully participate in court processes, expeditiously resolve cases, and avoid unnecessary interactions with the court in favor of proven alternative interventions. The project supports efforts to deliver on this vision by producing data-driven research to expand knowledge on how courts affect individuals and communities and by building partnerships with communities, the private sector, policymakers, and other stakeholders to identify and advance comprehensive improvements.
Text message reminders help many of us manage our busy, day-to-day lives—especially for important appointments. But what happens when that appointment is a court date? These systems are often not digital and not set up to help people who forget or are missing information about their hearing. And the consequences for people missing their court date, even by accident, can escalate quickly.
Nearly half of adults with disabilities live in households in which someone has been involved in a court case, according to a recent national poll by The Pew Charitable Trusts. This is the first known data on the prevalence of this population’s court interaction, which is significantly higher than for those without disabilities.
State courts nationwide are grappling with spikes in debt collection lawsuits, according to two new reports from January Advisors and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). Debt collection lawsuits account for a notable share of civil dockets in the United States each year, with up to 4.7 million cases filed in 2022, according to Pew calculations.
New research from The Pew Charitable Trusts sheds light on how people in the U.S. feel about court reminders and why people miss court. The results suggest that court reminders aren’t only effective—they’re popular, too.
Yolanda Pierson’s son, Wayland Jr., was diagnosed with a rare eye disease at age five, and in 2017 she took him to a hospital specializing in eye care. Over three years and after eight surgeries and 21 office visits, the family amassed a significant amount of debt. Subsequent referrals of that debt to collections, lawsuits, and disruptions of care all led to Pierson advocating for families struggling with medical debt—and supporting passage of landmark legislation in Minnesota, with reforms that share the same overarching recommendations as those from The Pew Charitable Trusts.
