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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

At least 30 prisoners were released Monday from the Rodeo I penitentiary east of Caracas to scenes of joy from waiting relatives.

From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 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

Soldiers stand on top of the penitentiary walls, just in case a rider approaches with a last-minute pardon.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

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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