detains

Detains is the third-person singular present tense of detain, meaning to keep someone in official custody or to hold back or restrain someone from leaving. In legal and law-enforcement contexts, to detain a person is to deprive them of liberty temporarily, typically for investigation, questioning, or security reasons, without necessarily charging them with a crime. By contrast, arrest generally involves taking a person into custody with formal charges or the initiation of criminal proceedings.

Detention can occur at various levels, including police detention during inquiries (often brief), criminal detention during investigations, and civil or administrative detention in immigration or security settings. In some jurisdictions, detention requires a lawful basis, a formal decision or warrant, and periodic review. Immigration detention, border detention, or hospital detention are common contexts where individuals may be detained while legal processes proceed or safety concerns are addressed.

Rights and safeguards for detainees vary by jurisdiction but commonly include being informed of the reasons for detention, access to legal counsel, and, in many systems, the right to challenge detention in court or before an independent authority. International and comparative standards emphasize that detention should be lawful, necessary, proportionate, and subject to review to prevent abuses such as excessive or indefinite confinement.

Etymology: detain derives from Latin detinere, via Old French detenir, meaning to hold back. The term is distinct from arrest in that detention refers to deprivation of liberty for a period without necessarily charging a crime, though the two concepts often intersect in law-enforcement practice.