Imprisonment

Antti Rannanjärvi and Antti Isotalo, the famous Finnish "puukkojunkkaris", imprisoned in 1869

Imprisonment or incarceration is the restraint of a person's liberty for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is considered "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessarily imply a place of confinement with bolts and bars, but may be exercised by any use or display of force (such as placing one in handcuffs), lawfully or unlawfully, wherever displayed, even in the open street. People become prisoners, wherever they may be, by the mere word or touch of a duly authorized officer directed to that end. Usually, however, imprisonment is understood to imply actual confinement against one's will in a prison employed for the purpose according to the provisions of the law.[1] Generally gender imbalances occur in imprisonment rates, with incarceration of males proportionately more likely than incarceration of females.[2]

  1. ^ "Imprisonment". The New International Encyclopedia. Second Edition. Dodd, Mead and Company. New York. 1915. Volume XII. Page 35.
  2. ^ Codd, Helen (Winter 2013). "WOMEN AND IMPRISONMENT". Wagadu, Journal of Transnational Women's and Gender Studies. 11.