Prisons are institutions designed to securely house people who have been convicted of crimes. These individuals, known as prisoners or inmates, are kept in continuous custody on a long-term basis.
Penal System: The set of laws, rules and procedures that govern the process by which individuals are punished for committing crimes.
Reformatories: Institutions to which young offenders were sent to receive training and education rather than punishment.
Capital Punishment: Also known as the death penalty, it is a government-sanctioned practice whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime.