What is a Capias? 

The word Capias is Latin and means most literally "That you take."   It is used as the name for several different kinds of writs, or court orders, all of which require an officer to take the defendant into custody.

For example, a capias ad audiendum judicium is a writ that orders the defendant brought back before the court after an appearance in which the person has been found guilty of a misdemeanor. A capias ad satisfaciendum orders the sheriff to take the defendant into custody until a judgment is paid or a discharge is granted on the ground that the defendant is an insolvent debtor. A Capias is a body execution.