What term describes the legal basis for holding a suspect during an investigation?

• A. Warrantless Arrest
• B. Detention Justification
• C. Show-Up
• D. Line-Up

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is the lawful basis for keeping a suspect in custody while an investigation continues. When someone is held for questioning but not yet charged, there must be a valid legal justification to detain them. This justification is what the option describes as a detention justification—the reason the police are allowed to keep the person in custody during the investigative phase.

Warrantless arrest refers to taking someone into custody without a warrant, which is a form of arrest rather than the general basis for ongoing detention during an investigation. Show-up and line-up are identification procedures used to confirm a suspect’s identity, not to justify detaining someone. So they don’t describe the legal basis for holding someone during an investigation.

Detention justification best captures the concept: the lawful reasoning that permits keeping someone in custody for the purpose of investigation, within limits of reasonableness and time.