penitentiary

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.

Early last year, prison officials transferred Hernández out of the federal detention center in Brooklyn, which largely holds pretrial detainees, and sent him to the high-security Hazelton penitentiary in West Virginia.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

Last year, he began serving a 14-year-sentence for graft, joining two other former presidents behind bars at a special penitentiary for ex-leaders east of Lima.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

Alcatraz island - nicknamed "the Rock" because it was regarded as an impregnable fortress - is home to the shuttered federal penitentiary that housed some of the most dangerous criminals in the US.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

In it, the special agent in charge recounts an interview done with one of Ray’s cellmates in the Missouri penitentiary who reported Ray having said to him:

From Slate • Dec. 1, 2025

But here’s what happened, as near as I can tell: When I got to the corner, Doug Swieteck’s brother and the state penitentiary crowd were waiting for me on the other side.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt