In the US
Penal System, a reformatory is
prison used for
first offenders to
segregate them from the more hardcore
repeat offenders. The idea is that by separating the new offenders from the
career criminals they will avoid the worst influences of prison life, hopefully reducing
recidivism.
The best known reformatory is in Mansfield, Ohio. The old Mansfield Reformatory building was used in filming The Shawshank Redemption and is currently a museum.