Carlie Ware Horne, a former county deputy public defender who is now clinical supervising attorney at the Stanford Law School Criminal Defense Clinic, said the court has created a two-tiered system where people with the means to post bail for these warrants–typically in and around the range of $10,000 to $25,000–can opt out of having to go to jail before they get an initial court date.

“A policy that excludes people from court unless they have money or are willing to give up their freedom doesn’t make any sense,” Ware Horne said in an interview. “It makes sense to adopt a policy that encourages people to take responsibility even if they’re poor, come to court, and have due process.”