If someone has an outstanding warrant for their arrest, it gets a bit complicated when it comes to posting bail.

If the person has been arrested and is in jail due to that warrant, you should generally be able to post bail for them, assuming the judge has set bail for their charges. The bail process would be the same as for anyone else arrested: once bail is posted, they’ll be released from jail, but they must show up for all their future court dates.

However, if the person has a warrant out for their arrest but hasn’t yet been arrested, you can’t post bail for them in advance. Bail is a system designed to ensure that someone returns to court after being released. If someone hasn’t been arrested yet, there’s nothing to be released from, so the concept of bail doesn’t apply. That person must turn themselves in, or they’ll eventually be arrested.

Once they’re in custody, the court will decide whether to offer bail based on various factors, like the severity of the alleged crime, the person’s criminal history, their ties to the community, and their past record of appearing (or not appearing) in court.