Can transportation subsidies reduce failures to appear in criminal court? Evidence from a pilot randomized controlled trial

The failure to appear (FTA) for a scheduled court hearing can have serious consequences for a criminal defendant. Many have speculated that transportation is a material barrier to court appearance. The authors provide evidence from the first randomized controlled trial of transportation subsidies to reduce FTAs, conducted jointly with public defenders and the transportation authority in Seattle, Washington. The most intensive intervention was a transit card providing 2–3 months of free public transportation. While the experiment is underpowered due to COVID-19 disruptions, the authors' pilot results allow them to bound the treatment effect and derive estimates of cost effectiveness under alternative assumptions. The authors' results suggest that transportation subsidies alone do not have large benefits for this aspect of criminal justice.

Language

  • English

Media Info

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01848034
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jun 6 2022 4:54PM