1.
prison; penitentiary; correctional facility
A facility where convicted criminals serve their sentences. The formal term used in legal and official contexts.
彼は刑務所に入った。
He went to prison.
刑務所から出たばかりの男がいる。
There's a man who just got out of prison.
その犯人は刑務所で十年間過ごすことになった。
The criminal ended up spending ten years in prison.
刑務所 is the standard formal term for a prison or penitentiary where convicted criminals serve their sentences.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 刑務所に入る: to go to prison
- 刑務所から出る: to get out of prison
- 刑務所に収容される: to be incarcerated
- 刑務所暮らし: prison life
RELATED FACILITIES:
- 拘置所: detention center (for those awaiting trial)
- 留置場: police holding cell (short-term)
- 少年院: juvenile detention facility
USAGE:
In casual speech, 刑務所 may be shortened to ムショ. The slang expression ムショ帰り means someone who has done time in prison.