Concept in Definition ABC

The name of prison is designated as those spaces that are specifically thought, designed and built to house individuals considered criminal or dangerous to the rest of the society. The jail's objective, then, is to keep in captivity those who do not respect the law explicitly established by a society and must thus receive some kind of punishment or pain for such a situation.

Modern prisons, designed broadly in the 19th century, are establishments that usually take place on large grounds (as they are complexes of several buildings) in which mainly find different areas of cells for prisoners, but also offices and spaces for specific activities such as dining rooms, gyms and visitor centers. Cells are usually small in terms of space and can have a minimum furniture basic (a bed, a sink or a toilet) for the prisoner (although many do not include it directly). Logically, these cells and a large part of the rooms are protected by various systems of safety: bars, padlocks precision and the presence of prison guards and police.

Prisons can be classified according to the type of prisoners they contain. While there are separate prisons for men and for women, there are also prisons for prisoners of high danger, for juvenile prisoners, or for prisoners who have committed a certain type of crime. There are also prisons for "VIP prisoners" in which prisoners have access to all the services and care they would have in Liberty and are therefore highly criticized.

One of the main objectives of the prison, in addition to punishing the criminal, is to allow him to reflect on his crime and reform it through different activities to then return it to society as a good individual. However, due to overcrowding, to the increase in criminality, to the deterioration of the infrastructure prison, in the absence of reform and constructive projects, today a large part of the world's prisons do not meet these objectives, becoming mere places of containment or passage for criminals who commit crimes again once released and who may even learn new criminal behaviors in the place.