  We study Josephson junctions (JJs) in which the region between the two
superconductors is a multichannel system with Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC)
where a barrier or a quantum point contact (QPC) is present. These systems
might present unconventional Josephson effects such as Josephson currents for
zero phase difference or critical currents that \textit{depend on} the current
direction. Here, we discuss how the spin polarizing properties of the system in
the normal state affect the spin characteristic of the Andreev bound states
inside the junction. This results in a strong correlation between the spin of
the Andreev states and the direction in which they transport Cooper pairs.
While the current-phase relation for the JJ at zero magnetic field is
qualitatively unchanged by SOC, in the presence of a weak magnetic field a
strongly anisotropic behavior and the mentioned anomalous Josephson effects
follow. We show that the situation is not restricted to barriers based on
constrictions such as QPCs and should generically arise if in the normal system
the direction of the carrier's spin is linked to its direction of motion.
