Article 124: Arbitrary detention — Revised Penal Code

Any public officer or employee who, without legal grounds, detains a person, shall suffer:

1. The penalty of arresto mayor in its maximum period to prision correccional in its minimum period, if the detention has not exceeded three days;

2. The penalty of prision correccional in its medium and maximum periods, if the detention has continued more than three but not more than fifteen days;

3. The penalty of prision mayor, if the detention has continued for more than fifteen days but not more than six months; and

4. That of reclusion temporal, if the detention shall have exceeded six months.

The commission of a crime, or violent insanity or any other ailment requiring the compulsory confinement of the patient in a hospital, shall be considered legal grounds for the detention of any person.

Consolidated by Alleba from the 1930 text of Act No. 3815 (Lawphil) and the amending Republic Acts in our library. Amendments made by Presidential Decrees, Batas Pambansa or executive orders are not yet included. For information and research only, and not legal advice. This text may not reflect later amendments. For certified copies, refer to the Official Gazette or the issuing agency.