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penitentiary

[pen-i-ten-shuh-ree] / ˌpɛn ɪˈtɛn ʃə ri /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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A month after prosecutors filed the rape charges, Mr. Carroll was transferred to Salinas Valley State Prison, a men’s penitentiary, where he is still confined.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 24, 2026

Alcatraz, which opened as a federal penitentiary in 1934, was once considered among the most secure prisons in the United States due to its isolated island location and the strong currents surrounding it.

From Barron's Apr. 3, 2026

Early last year, prison officials transferred Hernández out of the federal detention center in Brooklyn, which largely holds pretrial detainees, and sent him to the high-security Hazelton penitentiary in West Virginia.

From Salon Feb. 19, 2026

As the documentary outlines, the building of that “state-of-the-art” penitentiary in the middle of the redwood forest in the northernmost part of California helped dehumanize those housed within its walls.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 5, 2025

White took over as the warden of the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, where he led an undercover operation to catch officials who, in exchange for bribes, were granting prisoners nicer living conditions and early releases.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Time served for the state convictions will run at the same time as the federal sentences, and the men will serve their time in federal penitentiaries.

From Seattle Times Apr. 9, 2024

But now, he is resisting calls from criminal justice advocates and liberal state lawmakers to shutter five more penitentiaries.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 1, 2024

La Regional jail is located in a large prison compound which houses a total of five penitentiaries and more than 12,000 inmates.

From BBC Jan. 8, 2024

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, more than 1 million people are held in state penitentiaries, of which 71% will be re-arrested within three to five years after committing additional offenses.

From Reuters Aug. 2, 2023

That has been true since penitentiaries first opened in America.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander




Vocabulary lists containing penitentiary


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