behind bars

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Rodriguez, who served as Maduro's vice president, has also pushed through an amnesty law that led to the release of hundreds of political prisoners, though some 500 remain behind bars.

From Barron's • May 11, 2026

Under that plea deal, Gutierrez was poised to avoid spending time behind bars.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

And yet is it in the interest of justice to hold behind bars a person who’s not the same one who was sentenced?

From Slate • May 2, 2026

Judge Mrs Justice Lambert told the pair they would serve 40% of the sentence behind bars, with the remainder being served on licence in the community.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

One in 9 black men between the ages of twenty and thirty-five was behind bars in 2006, and far more were under some form of penal control—such as probation or parole.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander