A house of detention refers to a facility or building used for temporarily confining or incarcerating individuals who have been arrested, charged, or convicted of criminal activities. It typically functions as a holding place primarily designed for pretrial detention, with the intention of ensuring the individuals' presence for scheduled court appearances.
This term often denotes a correctional institution where suspects or inmates are detained for a relatively short period, ranging from a few hours to several weeks or months. The house of detention may operate autonomously or be a part of a larger complex, such as a police station or courthouse. Its purpose is to securely house detainees until their legal proceedings are resolved, including arraignments, bail hearings, and court trials.
In a house of detention, inmates are generally segregated according to their gender or severity of charges, while ensuring their basic human rights are upheld. The facility typically provides basic amenities like sleeping arrangements, sanitary facilities, and limited access to legal resources, such as attorneys and law libraries.
While the house of detention primarily focuses on temporary confinement, some may also include medium or long-term holding areas for prisoners serving shorter sentences or awaiting transfer to a more permanent correctional facility.
Overall, a house of detention serves as a means to ensure public safety and maintain the judicial process by securely housing individuals who were taken into custody during criminal investigations or legal proceedings.
