Definition

Noun: 1. A facility for temporary confinement: A detention centre is a secure facility where individuals are held for a limited period, typically while awaiting a legal decision regarding their status, such as a trial, sentencing, deportation, or asylum claim. 2. A place of administrative custody: It is often used to confine specific groups, such as refugees, asylum seekers, or undocumented immigrants, by government authorities.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The asylum seekers were held in a detention centre while their applications were processed.
  • The government announced the construction of a new detention centre for undocumented migrants.
  • The suspect was transferred from the police station to a regional detention centre.

Advanced Usage

• "To be held in a detention centre": This is the standard phrase to describe the state of being confined in such a facility.
  • Families were held in a detention centre for several months.
• The term can carry significant legal and human rights implications, often discussed in contexts of immigration policy and civil liberties.

Variants and Related Words

• Detention camp (n): A term often used interchangeably with "detention centre," sometimes implying a larger or more makeshift facility.
• Holding facility (n): A more general term for a place where individuals are temporarily confined.
• Immigration detention centre (n): A specific type of detention centre for individuals detained under immigration laws.

Synonyms

• Holding center
• Detention facility
• Internment camp (This term often has historical and more severe connotations.)

Related Phrases

• Administrative detention: The legal process of holding someone without trial, often used in the context of detention centres.
• Detention order: The official document authorizing someone's confinement in a detention centre.

Noun

1. a large cell where prisoners (people awaiting trial or sentence or refugees or illegal immigrants) are confined together temporarily