The Simplest Intervention With the Strongest Evidence: Reminders

Of everything researched in this field, few interventions have evidence as strong — or as boring — as the reminder.

In New York City, a randomized trial of 23,243 people found that text reminders cut failure-to-appear rates for court dates by 8 percentage points off a base rate of 37.9% — a 21% relative reduction. Messages that combined the consequences of missing court with a concrete plan for getting there performed best.

In Santa Clara County, California, a follow-up randomized trial of 5,709 people found reminders cut bench warrants by about 20% and reduced incarceration from missed court dates by about 21% — at a cost of roughly 60 cents per case.

And it isn't limited to courts. Across all 54 Arkansas Community Corrections offices — 3,470 clients, over 14,000 appointments — a single text sent one day before a supervision appointment produced 29% fewer no-shows and 21% fewer cancellations, at about two cents per message.

A broader meta-analysis of reminder studies found the pattern held in 11 of 12 studies reviewed, with relative reductions ranging from 11% to 61% — while the authors were careful to note reminders are not a cure-all on their own.

This is, more or less, the entire evidence base behind why a checklist-and-deadline tool is worth building in the first place.

Sources: Fishbane, Ouss & Shah, Science, 2020; Chohlas-Wood et al., Science Advances, 2025; Hastings et al., 2021; Zottola et al., Criminology & Public Policy, 2023.