Prison

A prison,^[a] also known as a jail,^[b] gaol,^[c] penitentiary, detention center,^[d] correction center, correctional facility, remand center, hoosegow, or slammer is a facility where people are imprisoned against their will and denied their liberty under the authority of the state, generally as punishment for various crimes. Authorities most commonly use prisons within a criminal-justice system: people charged with crimes may be imprisoned until their trial; those who have pled or been found guilty of crimes at trial may be sentenced to a specified period of imprisonment.

"Jail" and "Penitentiary" redirect here. For other uses, see Prison (disambiguation), Jail (disambiguation), and Penitentiary (disambiguation).

Prisons can also be used as a tool of 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.

Naming[edit]

In American English, the terms prison and jail have separate definitions, though this is not always adhered to in casual speech. A prison or penitentiary holds people for longer periods of time, such as many years, and is operated by a state or federal government. A jail holds people for shorter periods of time or for pre-trial detention and is usually operated by a local government, typically the county sheriff. Outside of North America, prison and jail often have the same meaning.

In New Zealand, the terms "jail" and "prison" are commonly used, although the terms "correctional facility" and "prison" among others are in official usage. In Papua New Guinea, "prison" is officially used, although "jail" is widely understood and more common in usage.^[3] In Australia, the words "gaol", "jail" and "prison" are commonly used.^[4] The spelling "gaol" was in official use in the past, and many historical gaols are now tourist attractions, such as the Maitland Gaol. Officially, the term "correctional centre" is used for almost all prisons in New South Wales and Queensland, while other states and territories use a variety of names. "Prison" is officially used for some facilities in South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. Youth prisons in Australia are referred to as "youth correctional facilities" or "youth detention centres" among other names, depending on the jurisdiction.

The Warden, also known as a Governor is the official who is in charge of the prison and heads all the staff.

Prisons employ people to run and maintain the prison while keeping control of the inmates. Oftentimes, the number of people employed within a prison depends upon factors such as the size of the prison, how many inmates the prison has, and how much funding the prison gets. Staff may include:

Rehabilitation: Theories of rehabilitation argue that the purpose of imprisonment is to change prisoners' lives in a way that will make them productive and law-abiding members of society once they are released. The idea was promoted by 19th century reformers, who promoted prisons as a humane alternative to harsh punishments of the past.^[18] Many governments and prison systems have adopted rehabilitation as an official aim.^[155] In the United States and Canada, prison agencies are often referred to as "Corrections" services for this reason.

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Deterrence: Theories of deterrence argue that by sentencing criminals to extremely harsh penalties, other people who might be considering criminal activities will be so terrified of the consequences that they will choose not to commit crimes out of fear.

Incapacitation: Theories of incapacitation argue that while prisoners are incarcerated, they will be unable to commit crimes, thus keeping communities safer.

Retribution: Theories of retribution argue that the purpose of imprisonment is to cause a sufficient level of misery to the prisoner, in proportion to the perceived seriousness of their crime. These theories do not necessarily focus on whether or not a particular punishment benefits the community, but instead are based upon a belief that some kind of moral balance will be achieved by "paying back" the prisoner for the wrongs they have committed.

[156]

Fines

Community service

Execution

: The offender performs of a period of probation, and only serves a prison sentence if the terms of probation are broken. This is similar to the Canadian concept of a conditional sentence.^[171]

Suspended sentence

/curfews: Sometimes a condition of a strict suspended/conditional sentence.^[171]

House arrest

Mandatory treatment for drug offenders.

Rehabilitation programs, such as classes.

anger management

Mental health treatment for offenders with mental illness.

: The offender is not punished for the crime if they abide by certain conditions; typically they must not commit any further crimes within a designated period.

Conditional discharge

Other court orders that take away privileges from the offender, such as banning motoring offenders from driving.

programs,^[n] which overlap with the above methods. Restorative justice is based around arranging a mediation between the offender and victim, so that the offenders can take responsibility for their actions, "to repair the harm they've done—by apologizing, returning stolen money, or community service".^[172]^[173]^[174]

Restorative justice

Modern prison reform movements generally seek to reduce prison populations. A key goal is to improve conditions by reducing overcrowding.^[168] Prison reformers also argue that alternative methods are often better at rehabilitating offenders and preventing crime in the long term. Among the countries that have sought to actively reduce prison populations include Sweden,^[169] Germany and the Netherlands.^[170]

Alternatives to prison sentences include:

These alternatives do not eliminate the need for imprisonment altogether. Suspended sentences entail the threat of time in prison, while for others, actual imprisonment may be used as a punishment for noncompliance.

The prison abolition movement seeks to eliminate prisons altogether. It is distinct from prison reform, although abolitionists often support reform campaigns, regarding them as incremental steps towards abolishing prisons.^[175] The abolition movement is motivated by a belief that prisons are inherently ineffective ^[176]^[177] and discriminatory.^[178] The movement is associated with libertarian socialism, anarchism and anti-authoritarianism, with some prison abolitionists arguing that imprisoning people for actions the state designates as crimes is not only inexpedient but also immoral.^[179]

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