detention

The act of keeping back, restraining, or withholding, either accidentally or by design, a person or thing.

Detention occurs whenever a police officer accosts an individual and restrains his or her freedom to walk away, or approaches and questions an individual, or stops an individual suspected of being personally involved in criminal activity. Such a detention is not a formal arrest. Physical restraint is not an essential element of detention.

Detention is also an element of the tort of False Imprisonment.

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detention noun arrest, captivity, circumscription, committal, commitment, confinement, constraint, control, custodia, custodianship, custody, detainment, durance vile, fetter, guardianship, immuration, immurement, imprisonment, incarceration, internment, keeping, keeping back, keeping in, keeping in custody, legal reetraint, limitation, preventive custody, prison, protective custody, quarantine, restraint, restriction, restriction on movement
Associated concepts: detention facility, detention of property, illegal detention, lawful detention, preventive detention
Foreign phrases: Furtum non est ubi initium habet detennionis per dominium rei.It is not theft where the commencement of the detention arises through the consent of the owner.

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See also: apprehension, bar, bondage, captivity, check, commitment, constraint, custody, delay, durance, fetter, halt, hindrance, imprisonment, incarceration, restraint

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DETENTION. The act of retaining a person or property, and preventing the removal of such person or property.
     2. The detention may be occasioned by accidents, as, the detention of a ship by calms, or by ice; or it may, be hostile, as the detention of persons or ships in a foreign country, by order of the government. In general, the detention of a ship does not change the nature of the contract, and therefore, sailors will be entitled to their wages during the time of the detention. 1 Bell's Com. 517, 519, 5th ed.; Mackel. Man. Sec. 210.
     3. A detention is legal when the party has a right to the property, and has come lawfully into possession. It is illegal when the taking was unlawful, as is the case of forcible entry and detainer, although the party may have a right of possession; but, in some, cases, the (retention may be lawful, although the taking may have been unlawful. 3 Penn. St. R. 20. When the taking was legal, the detention may be illegal; as, if one borrow a horse, to ride from A to B, and afterwards detain him from the owner, After demand, such detention is unlawful, and the owner may either retake his property, or have an action of replevin or detinue. 1 Chit. Pr. 135. In some cases, the detention becomes criminal although the taking was lawful, as in embezzlement.