Definition
A large prison where criminals serve long sentences, often a state or federal prison for serious offenders.
Etymology
From Medieval Latin 'penitentiarius,' derived from 'poenitentia' (repentance). Originally, a penitentiary was a place for spiritual repentance; it evolved to mean a prison where inmates might repent, though modern penitentiaries have moved away from that intention.
Kelly Says
The word 'penitentiary' reveals Christian values baked into the criminal system—the original idea was that prison would inspire repentance—yet modern research shows punishment alone rarely produces genuine change without treatment and education.
Translations
CACatalà
centre penitenciari
sen-tre peni-ten-si-a-ri
DEDeutsch
Gefängnis
geh-fäng-nis
ELΕλληνικά
φυλακές
fy-la-kes
ESEspañol
penitenciaría
peh-ni-ten-thee-ar-ee-ah
FISuomi
vankila
van-ki-la
FRFrançais
pénitencier
peh-nih-ten-sye
HAHA
gidan kurkuku
gi-dan kur-ku-ku
IDBahasa Indonesia
penjara
pen-ja-rah
IGIG
ụlọ mkpọrọ
u-lo mkpo-ro
ITItaliano
carcere
kar-tsehr-eh
MRMR
कैदखाना
kai-d-kha-na
MSBahasa Melayu
penjara
pen-ja-rah
NLNederlands
gevangenis
geh-vah-gen-iss
PLPolski
więzienie
vye-zh-eh-n-yeh
PTPortuguês
penitenciária
peh-ni-ten-see-ar-ee-ah
RORomână
închisoare
in-chi-so-are
SVSvenska
fängelse
fäng-el-seh
SWKiswahili
gerehani
ge-re-ha-ni
TLTL
bilangguan
bi-lang-guan
TRTürkçe
cezaevi
tseh-zah-eh-vee
UKУкраїнська
в'язниця
v'yaz-nit-sa
VITiếng Việt
nhà tù
nha tu
ZUZU
isibhedlela
ee-si-be-de-le-la