prisons
n. countablen. buildings where people are kept as a punishment for a crime they committed. You use this word when talking about the legal system and where criminals live while serving their time.
n. buildings or facilities used for the legal confinement of individuals convicted of crimes or awaiting trial. Often used in the plural to refer to the penal system as a whole.
The government plans to build more prisons to reduce overcrowding.
Reformers argue that modern prisons should focus more on rehabilitation than on simple punishment.
Sociologists often examine how prisons function as total institutions that strip individuals of their previous identities to enforce a strict internal hierarchy and social order.
Often used without an article in phrases like 'sent to prison' or 'in prison' to describe the state of being incarcerated.