Pulaski County: Pulaski County Contracts With “ECourt Date” To Reduce FTAs

Press release from the Pulaski County Government:

August 2, 2021

The county recently entered into a contract with eCourt Date, the communication platform for court systems.

With the eCourt Date messaging software, the county can close the gaps in communication between offenders and the judicial system and reduce failures to appear (FTA). Some may not have an email address or a mailing address; however, more than 96 percent own a cell phone.

“This is best practice nationally,” said County Judge Barry Hyde. “The largest population in the jail are those who have FTAs. Use of this technology has shown to reduce FTAs by 30 percent.”

Failures to appear can have a snowball effect; offenders are taken out of the community, experience a loss of wages or employment.

The service will be used by the circuit courts primarily. Each court is training and will decide when to implement the service.

Once implemented, defendants will receive a message explaining the court date reminder program, receive a notification once a hearing is scheduled, additional reminders, if the court is closed and if the defendant misses court.

“The justice system is often seen as a government institution that operates behind a veil of secrecy. It is my hope this new communication system will increase judicial transparency and public trust,” said Hyde.

This press release was produced by the Pulaski County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.