A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, … See more

The use of prisons can be traced back to the rise of the state as a form of social organization.
Some Ancient Greek philosophers, such as Plato, began to develop ideas of using punishmen… See more

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 inmat… See more

Prisons are normally surrounded by fencing, walls, earthworks, geographical features, or other barriers to prevent escape. Multiple barriers, concertina wire, electrified fencing, secured and defensible main gates… See more

Prisons for juveniles are known by a variety of names, including "youth detention facilities", "juvenile detention centers", and "reformatories". The purpose of youth detention facilities is to keep young offenders a… See more

Some jurisdictions refer to the prison population (total or per-prison) as the prison muster.
In 2021, the World Prison Brief reported that at least 11.5 million people were imprisoned … See more

In the United States alone, more than $74 billion per year is spent on prisons, with over 800,000 people employed in the prison industry. As the prison population grows, revenues increase for a variety of small and l… See more