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Mahoning Judge Beth Smith launches unique text messaging service
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: April 9, 2020
When a person fails to appear in court for a hearing or a trial, leading to delays and other issues, it’s not only the parties in the case who are impacted, said Mahoning County Domestic Relations Court Judge Beth Smith.
“Delays cost the court time and money, as staff must reschedule hearings and answer procedural questions from those who did not appear,” said Judge Smith. “If an interpreter was scheduled, the court must pay for those services as well.
“It all adds up to unnecessary costs for taxpayers,” she said. “There can also be unintended consequences for the person who does not appear. For example, if a couple is going through a divorce and one of the parties does not come to the hearing, that parent may not be granted parenting time.”
Judge Smith said as the number of self-represented litigants continues to rise, so does the potential for missed appearances.
“Many of these litigants are not aware of the procedural requirements,” she said. “For example, they may not realize that they have to update their addresses with the clerk of courts to ensure notification of hearings.
“They may also move and forget to notify the court.”
To help reduce the number of missed appearances, Judge Smith launched the county’s first judicial automated text messaging service.
Unveiled on March 5, the new service sends reminders to the cellphones of litigants/parties and attorneys who sign up for the service.
“We continue to be an increasingly mobile society,” said Judge Smith. “According to a Pew Research Center report approximately 96% of Americans own a cellphone of some type and 92% to 96% of those Americans between the ages of 18-49 own a smartphone.
“Research shows that the simple act of reminding people of an upcoming obligation dramatically improves compliance,” she said. “Given that most of us carry our devices with us and check them throughout the day we believe this new system will improve attendance rates.”
Developed in collaboration with the Mahoning County Clerk of Courts and the Mahoning County Auditor’s Office using the current case management computer software CourtView, an Equivant program, the service is paid for through the court’s special projects fund.
“The court expects the total yearly fee to be approximately $1,200,” she said
To opt-in, parties/litigants and attorneys must download and fill out a form and send it to the Mahoning County Clerk of Courts.
The messages are sent out seven days prior to a scheduled appearance.
A typical text might read, “Mahoning County Courts: Common Pleas-Complimentary Reminder,” complete with the date, time, case number and hearing description.
“We will not randomly text anyone who does not sign up and the messages do not supplant the notices that are required by law,” said Judge Smith. “Those notices will still go out. The text messages are simply a friendly reminder.”
Mahoning County Director of Information Technology Jacob A. Williams said court officials began working on the program in the fall of 2019.
“Judge Smith was looking for a way to streamline the process for constituents,” said Williams. “Recognizing that people do not check their mail as regularly as they used to she wanted to find a new widely distributed channel in which to communicate.
“In many ways, this new system is a pilot program for the court and Judge Smith is always looking to improve her court with technology,” Williams said. “She was gracious enough to be our test subject. Since we already owned the case management software, we did not incur any initial charges.”
Williams said based on the feedback the court receives, the program may undergo minor adjustments.
“We hope to work with our vendor to drive improvements in this technology, as we learn more about what our audience desires,” said Williams
“Text messaging services are already being used by many doctors and healthcare professionals and we believe our clients will appreciate having this option,” he said.
“While it is geared to assist parties in cases, we believe it will also be helpful to some of our attorneys, especially those who are not located in the county. Feedback from attorneys who work with the court regularly is critical for the success of this pilot program,” said Williams.