Fugitive Safe Surrender Programs

Programs that provide a mechanism for people to report to the court and avoid a confrontation with the police in situations where they have failed to appear in court as required or neglected other obligations to the court and the judge has issued a bench warrant for their arrest in response. A bench warrant is an order for the arrest of a person for failure to respect the court and for failure to appear at the arraignment (first appearance to declare his/her innocence) or the pre-trial conference (a hearing to determine any issues that may need to be resolved to protect the interests of the State or the defense). The bench warrant will later require an explanation for the failure to appear and the court will most likely impose the requirement of a reasonable or appropriate bail amount commensurate to the crime charge so as to assure the return of the accused to court. If there is any written record (such as a letter from the person's doctor or employer) which may help to explain the absence, the judge might consider giving the individual another chance rather than putting him or her into custody.