detido

Detido is a term used in Portuguese to describe a person who has been detained by law enforcement, and detención/detenido in Spanish designate someone in police custody. As a past participle form, detido (masculine) or detida (feminine) refers to the person, while detenção (Portuguese) or detención (Spanish) refers to the act of detaining. The words share a common Latin root, detinere, meaning to hold back or to restrain.

In linguistic use, Spanish distinguishes between detenido/detenida (the person) and detención (the act of detention or arrest). Portuguese uses detido/detida for the person and detenção for the act. Both languages employ these terms within legal and journalistic contexts to describe someone under police custody, and they are often contrasted with related terms for longer-term custody or imprisonment (such as prison or prisão).

Legally, detention refers to a limited deprivation of liberty by authorities, typically for purposes of investigation or immediate securing of public order. The rules governing detention vary by jurisdiction but generally involve procedural safeguards. These may include formal notification of why the person is detained, access to legal counsel, protection against ill treatment, and oversight by the judiciary or equivalent authority. Depending on the system, detention can be converted into charges, released, or extended into pretrial detention or other forms of custody.

Rights and protections for detained persons are central to the concept. The specifics—such as time limits, the threshold for detention, and remedies—are set by national or regional criminal procedure codes. For this reason, the term detido/detenido serves as a broad label across Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking contexts, while the precise legal framework depends on local law.

See also: detention, arrest, police custody, pretrial detention.