carceral

[ kahr-suh-ruhl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to prison or imprisonment, or to other formal methods of social control:

   This book is a blueprint for policymakers to reform practices and for concerned citizens to understand our changing carceral landscape.

   Critics claim that these policies could result in an expanding carceral state.

Word History and Origins

Origin of carceral¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin carcerālis, equivalent to carcer “prison” + -ālis -al ¹( def )

Example Sentences

He didn’t want to be tamed or reduced by the carceral system.

From Salon

“When we prioritize work, which is what our current system does ... it limits those that are in our carceral system to have personal growth, to successfully reintegrate,” said Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson, a Suisun City Democrat who chairs the California Legislative Black Caucus and wrote the legislation that put Proposition 6 on the ballot.

From Los Angeles Times

“We seem to have an unending appetite to spend money on carceral settings.”

From Los Angeles Times

The interconnectedness of the carceral system and the health care system in the context of reproductive rights can be traced back to the persecution of Black midwives in the South in the early 1900s, said Dr. Jamila Perritt, president and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health.

From Salon

Racial disparities are well documented in the health care and carceral systems that are affecting many of the pregnant people documented in these cases.

From Salon