in prison
prep. phr..prep. phr.. being kept in a building for criminals as a punishment.
prep. phr.. functioning as an adverbial phrase of place or state, indicating incarceration within a penal institution.
He is in prison for stealing a car.
The lawyer visited her client in prison to discuss the new evidence for the appeal.
While serving ten years in prison, the inmate dedicated his time to studying law and eventually helped other prisoners with their legal cases.
used without an article when referring to the state of being a prisoner; 'in the prison' refers to the physical building.
compare with 'at school' or 'in hospital' (British English); the absence of the definite article 'the' signals that the person is there for the primary purpose of the institution.
He has been in the prison for three years.He has been in prison for three years.use 'in prison' without 'the' when the person is a prisoner serving a sentence.