Fresno Public Defender’s Office is Using a Reminder Platform to Notify Defendants

The Fresno Public Defender’s Office is using a new way that helps defendants to not miss the court dates. The PD’s office is using a software platform called Social Justice Text Messaging Communication. The software is in use since October 14. It is working in the same way as medical offices send appointment reminders to the patients.

The software operating on the platform is checking the court dates of people and sending them text message reminders. Join Now the community of tech people and solution seekers, where solutions to many technical problems are invented.

The problem was arising because defendants were not reaching on time in the court. And failure to appear in the court was causing them to miss important court appointments. Sometimes the defendants faced arrest warrants and penalties for not attending the court. The defendants belonging to the low community were missing court visits and were not unable to get justice on time.

Such people were living thousands of nights in jail. This software is designed to allow defendants to read the court’s message and text back on the issues whether they could appear in the court or not.

There are 37 public defenders across the US that are using software to notify the defendant about the court hearings. Fresno PD’s office is currently charging $2 per client for reminder service. This service is now in an 18-month test cycle and Fresno County’s bill released $15,000 for the first 12 months.

This is a great initiative by Fresno PD’s office to support public safety and convenience.