A prison is a building where prisoners are locked up.
A jail is a building used to confine prisoners . A prisoner, on the other hand, is a person who was deprived of his liberty as a sentence for having committed a crime .
For example: "Last night there was a riot in the San Jerónimo prison" , "The government promised to remodel the prisons so that the inmates live in better conditions" , "A dangerous criminal jumped over the wall and escaped from the prison" .
The etymology
Before moving forward with the meaning of the term, we have to proceed to know its etymological origin. In this case, we can say that it is a word of Latin origin that derives from carcer and was used to name both the spaces that had bars and the places where the gladiators waited to go out into the arena.
Not to mention that it was also used to name the underground places in which the wild animals that were going to face the aforementioned gladiators were kept.
Jail Features
Prisons are institutions that depend on the State . The set of prisons and the body in charge of their administration make up the penitentiary system . In a democracy, only the Judiciary can order that a person be sent to jail.
There are several reasons put forward to justify depriving a human being of their freedom. In the context of a judicial process, a judge may decide that an accused be sent to jail to prevent a possible escape or to hinder the investigation. Regarding the imprisonment of the convicted, it allows citizens to be protected from dangerous people (thieves, murderers, rapists, etc.), serves as a deterrent for those who could break the law and contributes to the resocialization of those who decided to distance themselves from the law. norms of social coexistence.
Alcatraz prison is one of the most famous in the world.
Some examples
There are numerous prisons that exist throughout the world. Among the most well-known and important are the following:
- The Alcatraz prison , which has inspired the world of literature and even cinema. It is set in the United States , specifically on the island that gives it its name, and well-known figures such as Al Capone have served sentences there. It has always been considered one of those with the tightest security measures, but a total of 36 prisoners tried to escape on fourteen occasions. He has appeared in films such as "The Man from Alcatraz" ( 1962 ) and "The Escape from Alcatraz" ( 1979 ).
- The Château d`If prison , which is in France . It inspired Alexander Dumas to take his famous Count of Monte Cristo prisoner there.
- Robben Island Prison , located in South Africa . If it is relevant, it is because Nelson Mandela was imprisoned there.
Other uses of the term prison
The idea of prison is also used with reference to the sentence that deprives someone of their freedom : "Leonel's murderer was given fifteen years in prison," "It is unfair that I get two years in prison when I did not commit any crime."
In colloquial language , finally, prison is called something that overwhelms or overwhelms : "This job is a prison, at any moment I am going to resign," "The singer fought for years to get out of the prison of addictions."