prison
Sign in to savethumb|A 19th-century jail room at a Pennsylvania museum A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various crimes. They may also be used to house those awaiting trial (pre-trial detention). Prisons serve two primary functions within the criminal-justice system: holding people charged with crimes while they await trial, and confining those who have pleaded guilty or been convicted to serve out their sentences
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A prison is a facility where the state confines people, either those awaiting trial or those convicted and sentenced for crimes. Prisons matter because they serve as a central part of the criminal-justice system by holding people accused of crimes before trial and by carrying out sentences for those found guilty.
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Article
52 sectionsContents
- Terminology
- Australia
- Canada
- New Zealand
- Papua New Guinea
- UK and Ireland
- United States
- History
- Ancient and medieval
- Modern era
- Transportation, prison ships and penal colonies
- Prison reform movement
- Development of the modern prison
- Staff
- Design and architecture
- Security
- Inmate security classifications
- Common facilities
- Kitchen and dining
- Healthcare{{anchor|Health care}}
- Library and educational facilities
- Literacy programs
- Recreation and fitness
- Control units<span class="anchor" id="General population"></span><span class="anchor" id="Gen pop"></span><span class="anchor" id="Segregation units"></span>
- Other facilities
- Special types
- Youth detention facilities
- Women's prisons
- Military prisons and prisoner-of-war camps
- Political prisons and administrative detention
- Psychiatric facilities
- Prison population
- Economics of prisons
- Social effects
- Internal
- External
- Theories of punishment and criminality
- Alternatives
- Crime within prisons
- Recidivism
- Prisons and marginalized groups
- People with disabilities
- United States
- World wide
- Black people
- United States
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|A 19th-century jail room at a Pennsylvania museum A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various crimes. They may also be used to house those awaiting trial (pre-trial detention). Prisons serve two primary functions within the criminal-justice system: holding people charged with crimes while they await trial, and confining those who have pleaded guilty or been convicted to serve out their sentences.
Prisons can also be used as a tool for political repression by authoritarian regimes who detain perceived opponents for political crimes, often without a fair trial or due process; this use is illegal under most forms of international law governing fair administration of justice. In times of war, belligerents or neutral countries may detain prisoners of war or detainees in military prisons or in prisoner-of-war camps. At any time, states may imprison civilians – sometimes large groups of civilians – in internment camps.