preventive detention

[pri-ven-tiv di-ten-shuhn]

noun

1. the holding of someone in jail or in an institution because they are regarded as a danger to the community.

2. English Law.,  imprisonment of habitual criminals for periods ranging from 5 to 14 years during which they are given corrective training or placed under psychiatric and medical care.

Word History and Origins

Origin of preventive detention¹

First recorded in 1905–10