noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
dying in prison; prison death
Refers to the act of dying while incarcerated, or the state of having died in prison. Can be used as a noun or with する to describe the event.
彼は獄中で牢死した。
He died in prison.
その囚人の牢死が報じられた。
The prisoner's death in custody was reported.
獄死 is a more common synonym for 'dying in prison'. 牢死 is less frequent but carries the same meaning.
Compound of 牢 (ろう, 'prison') and 死 (し, 'death'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the meaning is transparent from its components.