Court No-Shows: A Systemic Issue

4 Pages Posted: 9 Aug 2024

See all articles by Lindsay Graef

Lindsay Graef

University of Pennsylvania

Sandra G. Mayson

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Aurelie Ouss

University of Pennsylvania

Megan T. Stevenson

University of Virginia School of Law

Date Written: July 19, 2024

Abstract

This white paper summarizes research presented in Graef et al., Systemic Failures to Appear in Court, 172 U. Penn. L. Rev. 1 (2023). The study shows that it’s not just defendants who fail to appear at required court dates. A police officer, civilian witness, or private attorney fails to appear in court in more than half of Philadelphia’s cases: twice as often as defendants. Each time an essential party fails to appear, the hearing must be rescheduled, wasting time and money for all involved. Moreover, when witnesses fail to appear, cases are more likely to be dismissed or withdrawn. Our results show that failure-to-appear (FTA) is a systemic phenomenon, one that is playing a central role in criminal case processing in Philadelphia.

Keywords: courts no-shows, defendants, police officer, civilian witness, private attorney, Philadelphia, failure-to-appear, FTA, criminal cases, institutional dysfunction, domestic violence

Suggested Citation

Graef, Lindsay and Mayson, Sandra Gabriel and Ouss, Aurelie and Stevenson, Megan, Court No-Shows: A Systemic Issue (July 19, 2024). U of Penn Law School, Public Law Research Paper No. 24-38, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4920156

Lindsay Graef (Contact Author)

University of Pennsylvania ( email )

Philiadelphia, PA
United States

Sandra Gabriel Mayson

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School ( email )

3501 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.law.upenn.edu/faculty/sgmayson/

Aurelie Ouss

University of Pennsylvania ( email )

Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States

Megan Stevenson

University of Virginia School of Law ( email )

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