To imprison means to confine or physically restrict one’s personal liberty, usually in a jail or prison. As a penalty of violating a criminal law, imprisonment varies differently from federal to state. Take New York’s Criminal Code, for example, the maximum term of prison shall be at least three years, for a Class A felony, shall be life imprisonment; for a Class E felony, the term shall be fixed by the court and shall not exceed four years. However, when a juvenile offender who conducted a Class A felony of arson or kidnapping in the first degree, the term shall be at least twelve years but shall not exceed fifteen years, according to the Penal chapter 40, part 2, title E, article 70, section 70.05 of N.Y. Criminal Code.
[Last updated in March of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]