In
criminal justice, particularly in
North America,
correction,
corrections, and
correctional, are
umbrella terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out by
government agencies, and involving the
punishment,
treatment, and
supervision of persons who have been
convicted of
crimes. These functions commonly include
imprisonment,
parole and
probation. A typical
correctional institution is a
prison. A
correctional system, also known as a
penal system, thus refers to a network of agencies that administer a
jurisdiction's prisons and community-based programs like parole and probation boards; this system is part of the larger
criminal justice system, which additionally includes
police,
prosecution and
courts. Jurisdictions throughout
Canada and the
US have ministries or departments, respectively, of corrections, correctional services, or similarly named agencies.