5 Tips to Increase Court Compliance
August 05, 2020 by Meredith Trimble
Court Compliance During COVID-19
With fewer cars on the road, traffic citations are down accordingly. Good news for drivers, but what about for courts?
A recent analysis of diverse jurisdictions revealed the number of issued citations has dropped an average of 27% since March. Some courts have seen as much as a 49% decrease in new cases. Safer roads benefit everyone, but the impact on courts is real, making efficient resolution for citations and cases that do come in essential.
Luckily, creative functionalities within courts’ existing software solutions can help increase compliance and preserve set budgets. Following are five ways to leverage existing court software to speed case resolution:
- Encourage online payments. Make it as easy as possible for constituents to make one-time payments to speed resolution of new and existing cases.
- Keep Defendants Engaged. Even if a defendant can’t make a payment that moment, allowing them to request deferrals, programs, extensions, and payment plans online increases the probability they will remain engaged enough to ultimately resolve their case.
- Send reminders. Courts that send text message reminders of payment due dates are 22% more likely to see on-time resolutions.
- Host virtual hearings. Allow defendants to interact with a judge virtually to increase the likelihood of case resolution during social distancing.
- Give attorneys instant access. Empower legal professionals with the information they need online to help facilitate quicker case resolutions.
By using online case resolution, engagement, and accessibility tools, courts can change interactions with defendants in ways that benefit everyone. Managing and even paying citations online spares defendants in-person interaction and long wait times. The simple change also drastically increases compliance rates and reduces clerk backlog and workload.