Definition of "house of detention" []

• An institution where juvenile offenders can be held temporarily (usually under the supervision of a juvenile court) (noun)

WordNet. Princeton University. 2010.

• "In 1804 the abbey became a central house of detention for 15,000 prisoners, and the nave of the church was cut up into four stories forming dormitories and refectories for the convicts, while the choir and transepts were walled up and used as their chapel."