Per Penal Code section 237(a), false imprisonment is a misdemeanor if violence, deceit, fraud, or menace were not involved in the offense's commission. The term false arrest is often used interchangeably with false imprisonment.One is just one way of committing the other. A false arrest is one way of committing false imprisonment. To prove false arrest, a person must prove three elements: the police officer arrested the person; Lexis 1545 (9th Cir.). Two men were arrested under outstanding warrants and were held in a county jail for 30 days or more before they were arraigned in court. If you had an arrest that did not result in a conviction, you may be able to seal your case under Penal Code section 851.91. Unlawful police detention is when law enforcement, without legal justification, restricts your freedom to leave. Doing so constitutes a civil rights violation.