prison
noun /ˈprɪzn/
/ˈprɪzn/
- [countable, uncountable] a building where people are kept as a punishment for a crime they have committed, or while they are waiting for trial synonym jail
- She went to prison for tax evasion.
- He was sent to prison for five years.
- in prison She is in prison, awaiting trial.
- in prison for something Her son is in prison for murder.
- in prison for doing something He served four years in prison for killing a man.
- out of prison He's just out of prison, after ten years inside.
- When did she get out of prison?
- to be released from prison
- On his release from prison he tried hard to find a decent job.
- a maximum-security prison
- (US English) a federal/state prison
- a prison sentence/term
- a prison cell
- the prison population (= the total number of prisoners in a country)
- (British English) a prison officer
- (North American English) a prison guard
- (British English) Ten prison officers and three inmates needed hospital treatment following the riot.
Collocations Criminal justiceCriminal justiceBreaking the law- break/violate/obey/uphold the law
- be investigated/arrested/tried for a crime/a robbery/fraud
- be arrested/ (especially North American English) indicted/convicted on charges of rape/fraud/(especially US English) felony charges
- be arrested on suspicion of arson/robbery/shoplifting
- be accused of/be charged with murder/(especially North American English) homicide/four counts of fraud
- face two charges of indecent assault
- admit your guilt/liability/responsibility (for something)
- deny the allegations/claims/charges
- confess to a crime
- grant/be refused/be released on/skip/jump bail
- stand/await/bring somebody to/come to/be on trial
- take somebody to/come to/settle something out of court
- face/avoid/escape prosecution
- seek/retain/have the right to/be denied access to legal counsel
- hold/conduct/attend/adjourn a hearing/trial
- sit on/influence/persuade/convince the jury
- sit/stand/appear/be put/place somebody in the dock
- plead guilty/not guilty to a crime
- be called to/enter (British English) the witness box
- take/put somebody on the stand/(North American English) the witness stand
- call/subpoena/question/cross-examine a witness
- give/hear the evidence against/on behalf of somebody
- raise/withdraw/overrule an objection
- reach a unanimous/majority verdict
- return/deliver/record a verdict of not guilty/unlawful killing/accidental death
- convict/acquit the defendant of the crime
- secure a conviction/your acquittal
- lodge/file an appeal
- appeal (against)/challenge/uphold/overturn a conviction/verdict
- pass sentence on somebody
- carry/face/serve a seven-year/life sentence
- receive/be given the death penalty
- be sentenced to ten years (in prison/jail)
- carry/impose/pay a fine (of $3 000)/a penalty (of 14 years imprisonment)
- be imprisoned/jailed for drug possession/fraud/murder
- do/serve time/ten years
- be sent to/put somebody in/be released from jail/prison
- be/put somebody/spend X years on death row
- be granted/be denied/break (your) parole
Grammar Point schoolschool- When a school is being referred to as an institution, you do not need to use the:
- When do the children finish school?
- I’ll meet you outside the school.
- Her husband spent three years in prison.
Wordfinder- cell
- death row
- discharge
- justice
- parole
- prison
- probation
- remission
- sentence
- warder
Culture prisonsprisonsBritain's system of justice relies heavily on imprisonment as a form of punishment. Until the late 18th century conditions in prisons such as Newgate were dirty and violent. In the 19th century conditions improved, thanks to the work of reformers like Elizabeth Fry. New prisons were built, in which most prisoners had their own cell (= small room) facing into a large central area. Many of these prisons, such as Pentonville and Strangeways (HM Prison Manchester), still exist today, although Strangeways had to be rebuilt after most of the building was destroyed in riots (= violent protests) in the 1990s.The type of prison in which criminals serve their sentence depends on their category. Category A prisoners are considered dangerous and are held in maximum security closed prisons. Prisoners may be kept in solitary confinement (= alone and without contact with other prisoners) if they are likely to harm others or to be harmed by them. Category B and C prisoners are also held in closed prisons. Category D prisoners are trusted not to escape and are sent to low-security open prisons. Prisoners on remand (= waiting for their trial) should be held in remand centres, but because there is not enough space, many of them are kept in prisons. Young people aged 15–20 are normally sent to young offender institutions, sometimes called youth detention centres or youth custody centres. However, if space is not available young people are sometimes sent to adult prisons. A prison is run by a governor who is responsible to the Ministry of Justice, and the prisoners are guarded by warders. There are also some private prisons in Britain that are managed by private companies. They must follow rules that are set by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons.There is not enough space available in prisons for the number of people being given custodial sentences (= being sent to prison). In the 1990s there were riots at several prisons because of poor conditions. Cells intended for one person often contain two or three.In the US the federal (= national) and state governments have prisons, sometimes called penitentiaries or correctional facilities. Counties and cities have jails. Federal prisons are minimum, low, medium or high security. All inmates (= prisoners) who can work must do so. People are sent to a prison if their sentence is for several years. If the sentence is a year or less they are sent to jail. Some prisoners on work release are allowed to leave jail during the day to go to a job. Prisoners often spend the last few months of their sentence in a halfway house where they are helped to prepare for life outside prison.In the US people who are waiting for their trial often do not go to prison but instead make bail (= pay money to the court) as a guarantee that they will return for the trial. People sent to prison as punishment rarely serve their full sentence but after some time are released on parole, which means they must report regularly to a government official. It is possible that two people who have committed the same crime may receive different punishments. To stop this happening some states have introduced mandatory sentencing, which means that the punishment for a crime is fixed by law, not decided by a judge.Extra ExamplesTopics Buildingsa2, Crime and punishmenta2- the problem of overcrowding in prisons
- He was immediately seized and thrown into prison.
- She was told by magistrates she could now face prison (= go to prison).
- You only escaped prison (= escaped being sent to prison) because of your previous good character.
- Building new prisons is not going to help lower our incarceration rate.
- It is one of several companies running private prisons across Britain.
- The police are investigating disturbances at the prison.
- There have been riots in the prison.
- prison guards
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- local
- federal
- overcrowded
- …
- go to
- put somebody in
- send somebody to
- …
- sentence
- term
- cell
- …
- at a/the prison
- in (a/the) prison
- [uncountable] the system of keeping people in prisons
- the prison service/system
- The government insists that ‘prison works’ and plans to introduce a tougher sentencing policy for people convicted of violent crime.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- local
- federal
- overcrowded
- …
- go to
- put somebody in
- send somebody to
- …
- sentence
- term
- cell
- …
- at a/the prison
- in (a/the) prison
- [countable] a place or situation from which somebody cannot escape
- His hospital room had become a prison.
Word Originlate Old English, from Old French prisun, from Latin prensio(n-), variant of prehensio(n-) ‘laying hold of’, from the verb prehendere.