Legal Definitions - prisoner

A prisoner is an individual who has been lawfully deprived of their liberty and is held in confinement by governmental authority. This status applies whether the person has been arrested and is awaiting legal proceedings, or has been convicted of a crime and is serving a sentence. The specific facility where they are held, such as a jail, prison, or detention center, does not alter their classification as a prisoner.

• Imagine a person, Ms. Elena Rodriguez, who is arrested by local police on suspicion of grand theft. She is taken to the county jail and held there until her arraignment and subsequent trial. Even though she has not yet been convicted of a crime, she is considered a prisoner because she has been lawfully deprived of her freedom and is held in confinement by a governmental authority while awaiting legal proceedings.

• Consider Mr. David Chen, who was found guilty of embezzlement and sentenced to three years in a state correctional facility. During his time serving this sentence, he is a prisoner. This illustrates the definition because he has been convicted of a crime and is lawfully confined by the state government as a result of a court order.

• Think of Mr. Omar Hassan, an individual who arrived at a U.S. port of entry without proper documentation and was detained by federal immigration officials. He is held in a federal immigration detention center while his asylum application is reviewed. Although his situation is not related to a criminal conviction, he is a prisoner because he is lawfully confined and deprived of his liberty by a governmental authority (federal immigration services) pending a legal determination of his immigration status.