A programme or service that is connected to criminal-legal institutions, including public or private prisons, law enforcement, criminal court systems, or prosecutors; the child welfare systems; and immigration enforcement. The definition should encompass programmes or services that, as a precondition to receiving services, make those seeking assistance to submit to surveillance, law enforcement involvement, or other restrictions on their personal liberty that are unnecessary for the service being provided. Examples of carceral programmes include: legal service offices that, before providing assistance, require a survivor to file a police report; a domestic violence shelter that requires a survivor to have an active order of protection against the harm-doer; or a parenting class that makes participants submit to random drug and alcohol screens. Many people often experience forced treatment, involuntary commitment to a psychiatric institution, or elements of the current child welfare system as carceral.

Non-carceral: A programme or service that is established and provided in a manner that is disconnected from carceral institutions, in terms of administration, staffing, or funding. (FreeFrom)