English

Noun

protective custody ‎(uncountable)

1. (law enforcement) Lawful confinement of a person or close supervision of his or her movements, on a voluntary or involuntary basis, by authorities in order to safeguard that person from attack or other dangers.
   • 1964 July 25, Alfred E. Clark, "Gambling Witness Under Guard Fails in Move to Gain Freedom," New York Times (retrieved 3 June 2014):

     A so‐called star witness in the Brooklyn grand jury in­quiry of alleged links between the police and gamblers sought unsuccessfully yesterday to free himself from protective custody.

   • 1999 June 7, Donald MacIntyre and Hiroko Tashiro, "Hearing Their Cries," Time (retrieved 3 June 2014):

     The government has earmarked a paltry $1.2 million . . . , not enough to properly fund even the state-run counseling centers—the only institutions with the authority to put battered children into protective custody.

   • 2009 Feb. 13, Tanalee Smith, "Man charged over deadly Australian fire ," The Independent (UK) (retrieved 3 June 2014):

     Authorities charged a man today with 'arson causing death' after a week of devasting fires that killed a total of more than 180 people in Australia, and whisked him into protective custody to guard him from public fury.

References

• protective custody at OneLook Dictionary Search