Meaning of Arrest

Arrest is called the act of arresting: preventing a person from moving freely. This verb can also refer to taking a risk or deciding to take a certain action.

The most common use of the concept of arrest, however, is associated with the arrest and deprivation of liberty of an individual. Arrest is a measure that can be decided by a judicial authority or a police force. In the first case, it is a decision linked to a criminal process to carry out an act or as a punishment. The police, for their part, can decide an arrest when they find an individual committing a crime.

Arrest can be said to be a legal way of depriving a human being of his liberty. The arrested person remains at the disposal of the State according to the conditions established by law.

Many times an arrest requires the person to be immobilized to prevent them from escaping. In this case, handcuffs are often used so that the arrested person cannot use their hands and thus make their movements more difficult. Once arrested, the subject is usually taken to a police station, although there is also a form of house arrest (the arrested person is deprived of his liberty inside his own home).

Arrest, on the other hand, may be the determination or the courage to do something. For example: “Even I have to keep fighting arrest”, “If Margaret had arrests, the situation would be different and would not let these things happen”.

Citizen arrest

In North America, anyone can arrest or detain a criminal if they believe that in this way they can protect a third party and collaborate with the resolution of the case once the police force arrives. Similarly, it is permissible to use force to prevent the suspect from escaping, although always within reason.

Although the concept of citizen arrest exists legally in the United States, there are more and more cases internationally that are published through the social networks of people who join in the streets to detain criminals in the absence of the authorities..

Before carrying out a citizen arrest, it is important to analyze the situation to know if we have the necessary resources to carry it out successfully and avoid getting hurt or committing a crime due to excessive force. In the first place, it is recommended to act only if we have witnessed the attack, since otherwise we will not be able to justify our actions to the police.

In some states, citizen arrest is only valid if the crime observed is serious; For this reason, before proceeding with the arrest, it is necessary to carefully study the scene applying the appropriate legal knowledge. It should be noted that even the very definition of a serious crime varies from state to state, although normally the list includes murder, theft of property exceeding a certain economic value, flight after causing a car accident and rape.

Within the minor crimes there is a special category that brings together all those actions that may break the peace, and in these cases it is possible to carry out a citizen arrest. Among the most common examples are street poisoning and street fighting. As always, before arresting someone it is important to make sure they have seen him commit the crime.

Before approaching a criminal, we must assess his physical strength and check if he is carrying weapons, since it is not a good idea to intervene if that can endanger us and those around us.