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Gefängnisstrafe

prison sentence; custodial sentence

noun ge-FENG-nis-shtra-fe Rare

Usage Note

Gefängnisstrafe is the everyday term for a custodial sentence, served in a Gefängnis or Justizvollzugsanstalt. The formal legal term is Freiheitsstrafe. German criminal law provides for a minimum of one month and a maximum of 15 years, except for murder where life imprisonment (lebenslange Freiheitsstrafe) applies.

Examples

"Er wurde zu einer Gefängnisstrafe von fünf Jahren verurteilt."

Natural Translation

He was sentenced to a prison sentence of five years.

Literal Translation

He was sentenced to a prison-sentence of five years.

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