Key DifferencesLegal Status:
When someone is arrested, they are formally taken into custody and charged with a crime. Detention is a temporary holding for investigative purposes without formal charges. Duration: An arrest typically leads to longer periods of custody, while detention is meant to be brief and limited.
Detainment and arrest are connected but are different.
A detainment may not result in criminal charges where an arrest will. You may be detained because an officer suspects that you know about a crime or that you were connected to a crime, and their suspicion is reasonable and valid.
The officer can hold you for a period of time while they determine if their suspicion is backed up by evidence. This may come by way of questioning you or by an investigation, or both. In situations where the offense isn’t too serious, detainment may not take too long. However,
when detainment is in response to a major criminal event, detainment can be prolonged.
