definition
strict definition
prison
A site where people convicted of crimes are confined to serve their sentences, distinguished from detention before conviction.
A prison is a site where persons convicted of crimes carry out their sentences through incarceration. It is distinguished from a jail, which holds persons accused but not yet convicted of wrongdoing.
Incarceration is the means by which the sentence is served. A judicial sentence that does not involve confinement does not by itself make the place where it is carried out a prison.
A jail has the separate meaning of holding accused persons, commonly temporarily or before trial. The distinction here follows the stated confinement purpose, not the architectural form of the building.
prison Photos
Related definitions
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courthouse
A government building housing courtrooms and judicial chambers, with supporting spaces for hearing and trying legal cases. -
jail
A building or space for confining accused persons, usually temporarily or while they await trial, distinct from a prison. -
prosecutor's office
Offices for government lawyers who press charges and accusations against a defendant in court.