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detention camp

detention camp

1 6.2
A place where young people who broke the law stay temporarily under court care
  • noun
  • /dɪˈtɛnʃən kæmp/
  • US
translation icon : centro de detención juvenil
  • The detention camp was built to rehabilitate young offenders.

Examples

  • Conditions at the detention camp were monitored by the state authorities.

  • Many young offenders spend several weeks in a detention camp before their cases are resolved.

  • The judge ordered the teenager to be placed in a detention camp until his next hearing.

  • Many teenagers were sent to a detention camp for their behavior.

  • The judge ordered that the young offenders be placed in a detention camp for rehabilitation.

  • After committing several minor crimes, she was sent to a detention camp designed for troubled youth.

  • The juvenile detention camp emphasized education and counseling to help its residents improve their behavior.

Synonyms

juvie
vsdetention camp
  • Slang
48 9.9

A place where young people are held for crimes

is the formal description used for the institution under court control rather than slang
detention centre
vsdetention camp
  • UK
36 4.6

A place where people are kept for a short time, like prisoners or migrants, while their case is decided

is limited to short-term custody of young offenders under juvenile court supervision
juvenile detention
vsdetention camp
15 6.3

A locked place where young people who break the law are kept

is mainly for short-term custody under juvenile court supervision rather than long-term reform
reformatory
vsdetention camp
4 8.3

A place where young people who break the law are sent to be taught to behave better

is mainly for temporary custody under juvenile court supervision not long-term rehabilitation
detention home
vsdetention camp
  • UK
1 6.5

A place where young people who have broken the law stay temporarily under court supervision

has identical meaning but uses a different name for the same institution
house of detention
vsdetention camp
  • Formal
1 7.7

A place where young people who broke the law are kept by the court for a short time

is specific to juvenile cases but broader by including adults too
detention house
vsdetention camp
  • UK
6.9

A place where authorities keep young people for a short time after breaking the law

has identical meaning but uses an alternative name for the same place

Antonyms

1.0

The right to act, speak, or think as you want without being stopped

279 1.8

An act of letting someone or something go free from being held

How Secure

prison
1.0
detention camp
  • US
1 6.2
shelter
344 1.1
home
911 2.7

Surface Forms

Morphology

detention + camp

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'detention' (being kept in custody) + 'camp' (a temporary site where people stay), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer a place where people are held temporarily. This compound follows a common noun+noun pattern and has close cross-linguistic equivalents, making the sense predictable despite some domain-specific nuance about migrants or asylum seekers.

Etymology

Detention camp comes from the simple image of detention (being kept) and a camp (a temporary, watched place with fences or cabins). Picture young people staying in a guarded camp until a judge decides their case, so the phrase means 'a place where juvenile offenders are held temporarily'.