Whats the difference between being arrested and being detained?
• A: “Arrested” means you have been taken into custody and can’t leave. For example, if you’ve been handcuffed and placed in the back of a police cruiser, you’ve probably been arrested, even though the officer didn’t say, “You’re under arrest.” This is because you can’t leave the car without getting into more trouble. You can be “detained” for a short period of time if a police officer believes you were involved in a crime or are about to commit a crime. For example, if you’re standing on a street corner late at night in an area where a robbery had just occurred, a police officer may stop and ask you questions about why you’re in the area, etc. This is not an arrest.
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