Automated Court Reminder System for County Government
Automated Court Reminder System (ACRS) Reactivation
During the pandemic, this County Government sought ways to maintain court operations and keep employees, officers, and defendants safe and healthy. The County enabled online appearances for a significant number of cases and needed a way to efficiently remind defendants of upcoming hearings, including the nature of the required appearance (online or in-person). The County previously deactivated its court reminder system due to pandemic-related reduction of court operations.
A court reminder system plays an important role in maintaining operations and high appearance rates, especially for local governments with complex justice operations.
The ACRS Enhancements project is an important example of IT collaborating with Justice Operations to deliver a solution that meets the complex needs and conditions of our time.”
Daniel DiMarco Director of Integration Services, AST LLCSolution & Benefits of ACRS
AST’s technical expertise and functional knowledge of criminal justice was integral in the successful activation of the court reminder system. Modern automation allows defendants to register and receive appearance reminders via call or text, including details of online or in-person requirements. This eliminates paper notices, reducing costs for the County and increasing appearance rates among defendants.
In addition to improving service to citizens, the solution provides enhanced analytics to the County, enabling deeper analysis of system registration, the success of the automated reminders, and related cost savings.
Key benefits delivered to the County with the automated court reminder system include:
- An average of 500 automated SMS reminders sent per day
- Automated notifications are sent to defendants 14, 7, and 2 days prior to court date via call, text, or both, depending on set preference
- 10,000+ reminders sent in the first month following reactivation of the system
- Updated and expanded error handling capabilities
Solution Components:
- Oracle Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
- Oracle Managed File Transfer (MFT)
- Verizon Enterprise Messaging Application Gateway (EMAG) - Cloud
- Integrated Voice Response System
Why AST?
AST’s Court Reminder System ensures automatic and timely reminders are sent to defendants using a cost-effective and paperless approach, delivering efficiency to court operations and improved services to citizens.