noun
prison grounds; jail precinct
Refers to the physical area or compound of a prison or jail, not the building alone. Often used in historical or descriptive contexts.
江戸時代の牢屋敷は、今は公園になっている。
The prison grounds from the Edo period are now a park.
刑務所 is the modern term for a prison or correctional facility, whereas 牢屋敷 is an older or more literary term for the prison grounds.
Compound of 牢屋 (ろうや, 'jail') and 敷 (しき, 'grounds' or 'site'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is conventionally associated with the physical area of a prison.