Prison is an institution for confining and punishing people who have been convicted of crimes. Prisons punish criminals by severely restricting their freedom. For example, prisons limit where inmates (prisoners) may go, what they may do, and with whom they may associate. Inmates serve sentences ranging from a year to the rest of their lives. Prisons are important because they help protect society from dangerous criminals.
Prisons throughout the world hold more than 8 million people. Russia and the United States have the highest percentages of prisoners in their populations. Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and Sweden have relatively low prison populations.
In some countries, such as Israel and the Philippines, the federal government operates the prisons. The major political divisions of the United Kingdom each have their own prison agency, called the Prison Service in England and Wales, the Scottish Prison Service, and the Northern Ireland Prison Service. In Australia and India, the states have responsibility for running the prisons. In Canada and the United States, both the federal government and the state or provincial governments maintain prison systems. The Federal Bureau of Prisons oversees federal prisons in the United States, and the Correctional Service of Canada operates those in Canada.
