Norquist didn't want to fund more help until the size of the caseload spike was known, a spokesman for his office said. By that time, already high no-show rates were soaring as the lag time from ticket to initial appearance grew to four months. Waits for trials were eight or nine months, Gramling says. City prosecutors saw fewer people showing up to contest tickets. Many of the court no-shows were indigent people who likely would have been given alternatives to paying fines if they had shown up.
Adults are more likely to show up, but the rate is still low.
In the early days of quality of life policing, most of the new arrest warrants were paper tigers. The policy stemmed from concerns that a debtor's prison was being created because municipal court then had few alternative sentences to fines. In a major change May 1 of this year, judges voted to streamline the process, giving people fewer breaks and improving the chances of jail time for defendants who blow off fines or alternative punishment. For adults, the change eventually should prod more people into coming to court, says Leticia Smith, chief administrator of municipal court. There, they are evaluated by Wisconsin Correctional Service for ability to pay and eligibility for treatment or community service as payment alternatives, Smith says.