prison state

A prison state is a country or political entity that functions like a prison for its inhabitants—restricting movement, surveillance, and basic freedoms.

The term describes totalitarian or authoritarian regimes where citizens cannot freely leave or dissent: North Korea is often called a prison state.

It may also refer to a state with exceptionally high incarceration rates, where imprisonment has become a defining feature of governance: Critics argue America's mass incarceration has made it a prison state.