Arrestos

Arrestos (arresto) refers to the act by which a person is deprived of liberty by a state authority, typically police, for the purpose of investigation, charging, or ensuring appearance before a court. The term is used in Spanish-speaking jurisdictions and often in legal contexts in Latin America and Spain, though it overlaps conceptually with the English term arrest and with detention.

Arrestos can occur in two main ways: arresto en flagrante delicto, where a person is apprehended while committing a crime or immediately after; and arresto with an arrest warrant or detención ordenada, where a judge or prosecutor authorizes the deprivation of liberty based on probable cause or risk. In some systems, arrests may be followed by short-term detention in police custody, and longer detention may require judicial approval.

During or after an arrest, authorities may detain the person in police custody for a limited period, often called detención or arrest; in some jurisdictions, longer detentions require judicial approval, and the person may be held under prisión preventiva or equivalent until trial. Rights of the arrestee typically include being informed of the reasons for the arrest, the right to legal counsel, the right to contact a third party, and protection against coercion, torture, or incommunicado detention. Evidence gathered during the arrest must respect due process and admissibility rules.

After arrest, proceedings may include charging, setting bail, or release, and eventual prosecution. The specifics of how arrests are carried out, the duration of detention, and the protections afforded to arrestees vary by country and legal tradition. In Spanish-speaking jurisdictions, the terms detención, arresto, and prisión preventiva denote distinct stages or forms of deprivation of liberty, with jurisdiction-specific rules.