Ending the Criminalization of Failure-To-Appear: An Organizers’ Guide to Demanding Court Changes in the Time of COVID-19

Before COVID-19 became a global pandemic, missing a court date, a check-in with parole or probation, a day of community service, or a court-mandated treatment program could and frequently did result in people being jailed. The past few months, however, have demonstrated that in-person attendance at court dates, supervision check-ins, or programs, are not as essential as the punishments for missing them previously made them seem.

We have an opportunity to ensure that any changes to shrink the criminal punishment system made during this COVID-19 moment and national uprising remain. If appointments with the criminal legal system could be rescheduled or missed without punishments during COVID-19’s initial peak, those adaptations can and should be maintained into the indefinite future.

This document provides guidance for organizers in their fights to end the criminalization of failures-to-appear, as a step towards decarceration and abolition.

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