holding cell
Short-term jail
A holding cell is a small room in a police station, courthouse, or jail where people are temporarily detained, typically while awaiting arraignment, transfer, or processing.
Unlike regular jail cells meant for longer stays, holding cells are designed for short-term confinement—a few hours to a day at most.
They kept him in a holding cell overnight until he could see a judge.
Detention facility
- lockupTemporary detention facility
- bookingAdvance arrangement secured
- arrestSeize by law
- arraignmentCharge-reading court session
pretrial · inmate · detainee · suspect · bail · charge · misdemeanor · felony
Of limited duration
- interimProvisional in-between phase
- transitoryBrief in duration
- provisionalConditional and possibly temporary
- briefShort in duration
overnight · pretrial · waystation · stopgap · transient · pending · awaiting · hours
Rods, taverns, or measures
- benchShared seating surface
- concreteSolid building mixture
- windowlessHaving no windows
- crampedUncomfortably lacking space
overcrowded · isolation · enclosure · locked · secured · restricted · captivity · restraint
Law enforcement facility
- sheriffCounty's chief officer
- deputyAuthorized substitute or assistant
- jailerPrison guard
- guardWatchful defensive attention
law enforcement · handcuffs · interrogation · warrant · patrol car · squad car · booking officer · fingerprint
jail
Detention facility
arraignment · pretrial · inmate · detainee · suspect · bail · charge · misdemeanor · felony · docket
short-term
Of limited duration
- interimProvisional in-between phase
- transitoryBrief in duration
- provisionalConditional and possibly temporary
brief · overnight · pretrial · waystation · stopgap · transient · pending · awaiting · hours · processing time
bars
Rods, taverns, or measures
- benchShared seating surface
- concreteSolid building mixture
- windowlessHaving no windows
cramped · overcrowded · isolation · enclosure · locked · secured · restricted · captivity · restraint · shackles
police station
Law enforcement facility
guard · law enforcement · handcuffs · interrogation · warrant · patrol car · squad car · booking officer · fingerprint · mugshot
- prisoninmate, jail, prison, prisoner, warden
- captivitycaptive, prisoner, detained, imprisoned, incarcerated
- confinementcage, prison, jail, imprisonment, captivity
- courthousejudge, bailiff, clerk, court reporter, courtroom
- imprisonmentprison, jail, prisoners, captivity, dungeons
- law enforcementFBI, police station, patrolmen, police officer, cop
holding cellfreedom
Absence of constraint
free world · liberty · open air · sanctuary · release
holding cellhome
One's personal residence
permanent residence · dwelling · domicile · homestead · private residence
holding cellpersonal space
Comfort distance around oneself
hold, cell, held, holder, holding, cellar, uphold, cells, withhold