| Alger Hiss |
a lawyer and U.S. public official accused in 1948 of having acted as a Communist spy in the 1930s. Convicted in 1950 on counts of perjury related to the investigation, Hiss was sentenced to five years in prison but maintained his innocence until his death (b.1904--d.1996). |
| bastille |
(cap.) the state prison in Paris that was attacked and taken by French revolutionists in 1789. [2 definitions] |
| behind bars |
in jail or prison. |
| breakout |
a forceful escape from a restricting place or situation, such as prison. |
| brig |
a prison on board a ship. [1/2 definitions] |
| calaboose |
(informal) a jail or prison. |
| cell |
a small room in a prison or jail. [1/2 definitions] |
| cell block |
a unit consisting of multiple cells in a prison. |
| cellmate |
a person that one shares a prison or jail cell with. |
| commit |
to put under the care or control of a person or institution, such as a prison or mental hospital. [1/3 definitions] |
| commute |
to reduce the severity of (a prison sentence). [1/7 definitions] |
| concentration camp |
a prison camp in which large numbers of political prisoners, aliens, or those considered undesirable are confined and sometimes executed. |
| confine |
to shut in; put in prison. [1/3 definitions] |
| convict |
a person who is serving time in jail or prison. [1/2 definitions] |
| custody |
kept in prison by the police. [1/2 definitions] |
| death house |
a prison building where prisoners awaiting execution are housed, and where execution takes place. |
| death row |
a part of a prison where prisoners awaiting execution are housed. |
| detain |
to force to stay or keep in prison. [1/2 definitions] |
| discharge |
to release from a place, such as a prison or hospital. [1/6 definitions] |
| Dorothea Dix |
U.S. social activist, reformer, and Union army Superintendent of Women Nurses, who worked to improve prison conditions and to provide asylums for the mentally ill (b.1802--d.1887). |
| do time |
to spend time in jail or prison as a person convicted of a crime. |