Current through 25 August 2026 (verified 2026-08-25).
第八十五条 公安机关拘留人的时候，必须出示拘留证。
拘留后，应当立即将被拘留人送看守所羁押，至迟不得超过二十四小时。除无法通知或者涉嫌危害国家安全犯罪、恐怖活动犯罪通知可能有碍侦查的情形以外，应当在拘留后二十四小时以内，通知被拘留人的家属。有碍侦查的情形消失以后，应当立即通知被拘留人的家属。
2018-10-26 · National Database of Laws and Regulations
Legal information notice
This article provides general legal information only. It is not legal advice for a specific matter and does not guarantee filing, preservation, settlement, judgment, enforcement or any other result. Qualified counsel in the relevant jurisdiction must assess the complete facts, documents, current rules and receiving authority requirements.
- Do not substitute this page for matter-specific verification
- No firm quote, duration, success rate or recovery rate is invented
- Statutory deadlines and strategic suggestions must be identified separately
Direct answer: Use the family first-48-hour action table
This guide concerns Mainland criminal procedure only. The first-48-hour table is an emergency work order, not a promise that counsel or authorities will finish every step in 48 hours. Verify the detaining authority, stated suspicion, facility and notice source before counsel proceeds. （依據：PRC Criminal Procedure Law, Articles 34, 39, 40, 67, 85 and 91（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
- Use the family first-48-hour action table
- A detention notice is not a conviction document
- Use official documents and verified authority contacts
1. Verify person, authority, place and time
Record identity, last contact, executing authority, unit, facility and notice route. Detention should be followed by transfer to a detention centre without delay and no later than 24 hours, with family notice generally within 24 hours subject to statutory exceptions. （依據：PRC Criminal Procedure Law, Articles 34, 39, 40, 67, 85 and 91（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
- Do not pay an unknown caller
- Verify the formal notice
- Log every contact
2. Use PRC defence counsel for meeting and procedure checks
The suspect may retain a defender from first interrogation or coercive measure; only a lawyer may act as defender during investigation. The detention centre should arrange a lawful meeting promptly and no later than 48 hours, subject to special approval rules for specified cases. （依據：PRC Criminal Procedure Law, Articles 34, 39, 40, 67, 85 and 91（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本）；PRC Lawyers Law, Articles 2, 25, 28 and 38（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
- Verify licence and firm
- Prepare relationship and engagement material
- Do not treat a meeting as the full case file
3. Provide health facts and do not manufacture a case theory
Supply genuine records of serious illness, medication, disability, age, pregnancy or nursing, plus address and contact details. Do not broadcast unverified allegations, delete messages, move assets or coordinate stories. （依據：PRC Personal Information Protection Law, Articles 6, 17, 28 and 29（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
- Medical record and prescription
- True identity and address
- No destruction or fabrication
4. Understand detention-to-arrest review nodes
The usual three-day request period may be extended by one to four days; specified major suspects may have a period up to 30 days, followed by seven days for the procuratorate. “37 days” is not a fixed period for every case. （依據：PRC Criminal Procedure Law, Articles 34, 39, 40, 67, 85 and 91（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
- Start from verified detention time
- Separate police request and procuratorate review
- Track any change of measure
5. Bail pending trial depends on statutory conditions
It is not payment for release. Counsel assesses potential penalty, social danger, health, pregnancy or nursing and custody-period circumstances, with guarantee obligations and refusal risk. （依據：PRC Criminal Procedure Law, Articles 34, 39, 40, 67, 85 and 91（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
- No guarantee of bail
- Evidence tied to legal conditions
- Guarantor or deposit follows the decision
6. Separate criminal engagement stages and fees
Investigation, prosecution review, trial, appeal and complaint are different stages. Meeting, charge information, change-of-measure applications, file review and defence scope must be written. Criminal matters cannot use risk-agency fees. （依據：Opinions on Further Regulating Lawyers’ Service Fees, Sifa Tong [2021] No. 87, Items 8, 9 and 16（www.moj.gov.cn：官方文本）；PRC Lawyers Law, Articles 2, 25, 28 and 38（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
- Investigation deliverables
- Prosecution and file review
- Trial and family reporting
The verification pack to send counsel
Send a one-page chronology, party details, a core-document index, an amount or asset schedule, and the three questions you need answered. Add the remaining material after counsel identifies the decisive gaps.
- Detention notice or verifiable image
- Exact identity
- Last-contact and execution chronology
- Medical and genuine family information
How this guide differs from related articles
This article covers Mainland detention emergency work. The cross-border criminal-fee article covers staged fees and scope. Hong Kong criminal procedure requires separate Hong Kong advice.
- Use this page only for the first routing decision
- Recheck the forum, authority, current version and deadline before action
- Confirm scope, fee items and exclusions in writing before engagement
Legal information notice
This article provides general legal information only. It is not legal advice for a specific matter and does not guarantee filing, preservation, settlement, judgment, enforcement or any other result. Qualified counsel in the relevant jurisdiction must assess the complete facts, documents, current rules and receiving authority requirements.
- Do not substitute this page for matter-specific verification
- No firm quote, duration, success rate or recovery rate is invented
- Statutory deadlines and strategic suggestions must be identified separately
Frequently asked questions
Does criminal detention mean conviction?
No. It is a coercive measure; conviction requires later statutory process and a court judgment. （依據：PRC Criminal Procedure Law, Articles 34, 39, 40, 67, 85 and 91（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
Must the family always be notified within 24 hours?
Notice is generally required, subject to inability to notify and specified investigation-related exceptions. （依據：PRC Criminal Procedure Law, Articles 34, 39, 40, 67, 85 and 91（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
What if no paper notice arrived?
Verify through the authority, facility or case unit, keep a log and do not pay unknown callers.
Can a Hong Kong family member visit the detention centre?
Family cannot ordinarily replace a defence lawyer’s criminal meeting; verify facility rules and counsel procedure. （依據：PRC Criminal Procedure Law, Articles 34, 39, 40, 67, 85 and 91（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
Is a lawyer meeting guaranteed to finish within 48 hours?
The legal arrangement requirement applies after a compliant request is accepted, with special approval rules for specified cases. （依據：PRC Criminal Procedure Law, Articles 34, 39, 40, 67, 85 and 91（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
Can a relative act as defender during investigation?
Only a lawyer may act as defender during the investigation stage. （依據：PRC Criminal Procedure Law, Articles 34, 39, 40, 67, 85 and 91（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
Does the 37-day expression apply to every case?
No. It combines specified extensions and procuratorate review; ordinary and actual case nodes differ. （依據：PRC Criminal Procedure Law, Articles 34, 39, 40, 67, 85 and 91（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
Can bail pending trial be requested immediately?
Counsel can assess and apply under Article 67, but the authority decides and no result may be promised. （依據：PRC Criminal Procedure Law, Articles 34, 39, 40, 67, 85 and 91（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
Should the family prepare medical records?
Yes if genuine serious illness, continuing medicine, disability, pregnancy or nursing is relevant.
Should the case be posted publicly?
Be cautious with identity, health, allegations and third-party data; disclose to verified counsel on a need-to-know basis. （依據：PRC Personal Information Protection Law, Articles 6, 17, 28 and 29（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
May the family delete chats?
No relevant evidence should be destroyed, hidden or fabricated.
Can a criminal case use contingency fees?
No. Risk-agency arrangements are prohibited for criminal matters. （依據：Opinions on Further Regulating Lawyers’ Service Fees, Sifa Tong [2021] No. 87, Items 8, 9 and 16（www.moj.gov.cn：官方文本））
Does one engagement cover every criminal stage?
Not automatically. Investigation, prosecution, trial, appeal and complaint scope should be explicit. （依據：PRC Lawyers Law, Articles 2, 25, 28 and 38（全国人大常委会办公厅（国家法律法规数据库）：官方文本））
What are the four essential first-contact facts?
Identity, detention time, authority and facility, plus the notice and medical information if available.