What does “medida cautelar” mean in Spanish law?
De prisión preventiva a arresto domiciliario para Ángela Vivanco
B2 Spanish listening practice · Chilean Spanish · Picked for people who know more
A medida cautelar is a precautionary measure a court imposes on someone before any verdict — to keep them available for trial, not to punish them. The report shows the scale: the harshest is prisión preventiva (pre-trial jail), and a lighter rung is arresto domiciliario (house arrest). Swapping one for the other, as here, loosens the restriction while the case is still under investigation.
Cautelar comes from cautela (caution, precaution), so the phrase literally means a “cautionary measure.” It runs across legal systems: other rungs include arraigo (a ban on leaving the country), firma periódica (signing in regularly), and orders to stay away from a victim. Key nuance for learners: these are protective, provisional steps — the person is still imputado (accused), not condenado (convicted).
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Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-ESP 2011 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.