Best Admiralty & Maritime Lawyers in Albany, NY

How Long Can You Be Detained Without Charges? Many answers to legal questions involve the word “reasonable,” including the question of how long can you be detained without charges? Under Pennsylvania law, if you do not get brought before a judge for a preliminary arraignment on charges within a reasonable time of getting arrested, they are supposed to release you. Of course, the million-dollar question is, how long is a “reasonable” time? Unfortunately, the answer to that question will vary depending on the situation. For example, if you get pulled over by the police while driving to work, you can expect to be delayed for around 15 or 20 minutes while they run your license plates and driver’s license to see if you have any warrants outstanding. They will also need to check your registration and automobile insurance. If they decide to write a ticket, that also can take time. It would not be reasonable, however, under these circumstances if the officers refused to let you leave the location of the traffic stop for seven or eight hours while they did other things unrelated to you.