TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on May 8, 2023

Failure to show up for court has serious consequences for individuals and the court system as a whole, and the reasons may be as mundane as lack of transportation, family obligations or simply forgetting to appear. Jurisdictions throughout the country are seeking ways to get more people through the courthouse doors. The North Carolina Court Appearance Project was created by court stakeholders in New Hanover, Robeson and Orange counties, with technical assistance support from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the University of North Carolina School of Government Criminal Justice Innovation Lab. In August 2021, each county convened a group of judges, prosecutors, public defenders, clerks and members of law enforcement to study nonappearance rates and root causes and to propose solutions. Pew Trusts has published a summary of the findings.