prison term
Time behind bars
A prison term is the length of time a person is sentenced to serve in prison: He received a ten-year prison term for armed robbery.
The phrase emphasizes duration rather than the imprisonment itself.
Someone may serve their full term or be released early for good behavior.
- convictionFirmly held belief
- incarcerationConfinement in jail
- maximum securityHighest-level prison classification
- minimum securityLeast restrictive custody level
- county jailMunicipal detention facility
felony · trial · sentencing · hard time · solitary confinement · misdemeanor · reintegration · reentry · bid · criminal record · plea bargain · throw the book · stigma · family separation · dime · stretch · served · penal code
- Sentencing Factorsmitigating factors, aggravating factors, extenuating circumstances, criminal history, prior record
- criminal justicearrest, jail, court, crime, guilty
- prisoncell block, inmate, jail, prisoner, warden
- imprisonmentjail, prisoners, cells, captivity, dungeons
- criminal recordrap sheet, criminal history, convictions, felony, misdemeanor
- prison sentenceslife sentence, jail time, sentence length, life without parole, mandatory minimum
legal consequence severity
prison termfreedom
Absence of constraint
probation · acquittal · suspended sentence · not guilty verdict · release