legal definition of inmate
Gustave DorÃ©'s image of the exercise yard at Newgate Prison (1872) A prisoner, also known as an inmate or detainee, is a person who is deprived of liberty against his or her will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or by forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to those on trial or serving a prison sentence in a prison. 1 English law.