A bench warrant is the process used to bring a non-appearing defendant or a subpoenaed witness before the court when his or her personal presence is required. Typically, a bench warrant will be issued against an individual who failed to appear in court after promising to do so (or after being ordered by a judge to appear).

Often, a person who is charged with a criminal offense or a probation violation will appear in court but will fail to reappear on a specified future court date. When this happens, the court will issue a warrant to have that person arrested.

The seriousness of the bench warrant will be based primarily on the nature of the underlying offense. For example, a defendant’s failure to appear on a felony case may have more serious consequences than a failure to appear on a misdemeanor case. A person who fails to appear after being released on bail will likely have his or her bond forfeited. Also, the amount of bail is usually increased.

Many individuals who have outstanding warrants face a variety of difficulties in their daily lives, not to mention the fear and stress of getting arrested. Aside from the criminal consequences, an outstanding warrant can lead to one or more of the following:

» Suspension of driver’s license

» Suspension of professional license

» Loss of government benefits (Social Security, Disability, Healthcare, etc.)

» Inability to get financing

» Loss of employment

» Inability to travel

» Preclusion from various jobs

» Interference with child visitation rights

» Extradition to different jurisdiction (city or state)

At California Criminal Defense Center, we have extensive experience in helping individuals recall their criminal warrants and getting their lives back on track.

We have a strong rapport with Southern California judges and prosecutors and are thereby able to negotiate the recall of criminal warrants without further court action against our clients in many cases. Oftentimes, our clients don’t even have to appear in court!

If you are living in fear of your misdemeanor or felony warrant, contact an expert criminal defense attorney at California Criminal Defense Center immediately. Do not delay as the process will become more complicated and costly if you are arrested prior to our involvement.

If you would like to discuss your case or your outstanding warrant with a California Criminal Defense Lawyer, please contact our office.  You can schedule a confidential and free consultation with our criminal warrants expert by completing the Free Consultation form on this page, or by calling us at 1-800-438-4529.

All consultation are conducted in a safe and private setting.  As required by the California Rules of Professional Conduct, any information that you share with us during your consultation (including your fugitive status) will remain highly confidential, even if you choose not to hire us.