Definition

1. Noun:
   • A facility for temporary confinement: A detention house is an institution where individuals, typically juvenile offenders, are held temporarily, often while awaiting court proceedings or transfer to another facility.
   • A place of custody under legal authority: It refers to a secure building or complex operated by governmental authorities for the short-term detention of persons in legal custody.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The judge ordered the teenager to be held in the juvenile detention house until the hearing.
  • The new detention house has educational programs for the youths held there.

Advanced Usage

• "to be remanded to a detention house": To be sent by court order to be held in such a facility while awaiting trial.
  • The suspect was remanded to the county detention house.

Variants and Related Words

• Detention center (n): A very similar term, often used interchangeably with "detention house."
  • The detention center focuses on rehabilitation.
• Juvenile hall (n): A common term in some regions for a detention facility for minors.
• Holding facility (n): A more general term for a place where individuals are detained temporarily.

Synonyms

• Youth detention facility: A facility specifically for detaining young offenders.
• Remand centre (UK spelling): A place where accused individuals are held before trial.

Related Phrases

• To be in detention: The state of being held in a detention facility.
  • He has been in detention for a week.

Related Idioms

Noun

1. an institution where juvenile offenders can be held temporarily (usually under the supervision of a juvenile court)