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Prison
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<p>A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, remand center, hoosegow, big house, or slammer, is a facility where <a href="/facts/Prisoner/wCK9J682">people</a> are <a href="/facts/Imprisonment/o9ofCg5S">imprisoned</a> under the authority of the <a href="/facts/State_(polity)/7ggBzTSk">state</a>, usually as <a href="/facts/Punishment/1eNwt547">punishment</a> for various <a href="/facts/Crimes/BfoRzbL3">crimes</a>. They may also be used to house those awaiting trial (pre-trial detention). Prisons are most commonly used within a <a href="/facts/Criminal_justice/7dJlkbS3">criminal-justice</a> system by authorities: people charged with crimes may be <a href="/facts/Remand_(detention)/QlQxeYUK">imprisoned until their trial</a>; and those who have pleaded or been found <a href="/facts/Guilt_(law)/YmxC826s">guilty</a> of crimes at trial may be <a href="/facts/Sentence_(law)/X2Se9LMB">sentenced</a> to a specified period of imprisonment. </p><p>Prisons can also be used as a tool for <a href="/facts/Political_repression/aFzYy3S4">political repression</a> by <a href="/facts/Authoritarianism/88Kfm2gU">authoritarian</a> regimes who <a href="/facts/Political_prisoner/QwWMH57J">detain perceived opponents</a> for <a href="/facts/Political_crimes/JPSeszcY">political crimes</a>, often without a fair trial or <a href="/facts/Due_process/cbKduKzM">due process</a>; this use is illegal under most forms of <a href="/facts/International_law/WJEPeq44">international law</a> governing fair <a href="/facts/Administration_of_justice/TpTHrac5">administration of justice</a>. In times of war, belligerents or neutral countries may detain <a href="/facts/Prisoners_of_war/X22JC3Fj">prisoners of war</a> or <a href="/facts/Detainees/KtYfqDrP">detainees</a> in <a href="/facts/Military_prisons/hdKC73Nr">military prisons</a> or in <a href="/facts/Prisoner-of-war_camp/Fh6YRw29">prisoner-of-war camps</a>. At any time, states may imprison civilians – sometimes large groups of civilians – in <a href="/facts/Internment_camps/fMT7HaTK">internment camps</a>. </p>