IMPRISONMENT, the state of a person restrained of his liberty, and detained under the custody of another.
No person is to be imprisoned but as the law directs, either by the command or order of a court of record, or by lawful warrant; or the king's process, on which one may be lawfully detained. Where the law gives power to imprison, in such case it is justifiable, provided he who does it in pursuance of a statute exactly pursues the statute in the manner of doing it; for otherwise it will be deemed false imprisonment, and consequently it is unjustifiable.