Background

What are jail dreams about?

The DreamWell Dream Dictionary is based upon insights from 1,200 dream symbols in over 200,000 dreams. Let’s see what the data has to say about jail dreams.

The word cloud above shows the words that are specifically associated with jail dreams. These are the words that make jail dreams unique compared to all other dream symbols. Just examining the graph and reading the words of jail dreams can be illuminating about show jails affect our dreams. Be sure to check out the example jail dreams at the bottom of the page.

The circular bar chart above shows how jails in a dream will affect dream content as compared to other dream symbols. Higher bars indicate that jail is more related to the specific symbol in the graph. Lower bars indicate that jail is less related to the specific symbol in the graph. Specifically, jail dreams have more human-made places than 97.7% of dream symbols, more aggressive acts than 97.0% of dream symbols, and more unnamed people than 91.4% of dream symbols. On the other hand, jail dreams have less fantastic beings than 89.8% of dream symbols, less insects than 89.5% of dream symbols, and less vision than 87.7% of dream symbols. Notably, dreams of jails are aggressive! Jail dreams have more aggressive interactions than 80% of all of the other dream symbols. Aggressive interactions involve attacks, arguments, yelling, pushing, killing, and so on. These dreams can be scary, stressful, or confusing. But, as with all dreams, it is best to explore what is there. Why was there aggression? Was it really aggression? Finally, jail dreams are about death. Better stated, jail dreams contain more death and dying than 90% of all other dream symbols. Dreams help us process our emotions, understand our fears, and grieve. Death in a dream is not necessarily a bad thing. Dreaming of death can help us overcome fears or say good bye to loved ones. But, then again, dreams of death might simple just be dreams. Every dream is unique. These are general patterns observed in an analysis of over 200,000 dreams. This analysis is a tool to help you make sense of your dreams. It is best to look at the differences. See how your dream of jails is different than dreams of jails in general.

0.5%

of dreams have jails

How common are jail dreams?

0.5% of dreams have the jails symbol within the dream. That's about 1 out of every 200 dreams. Considering all the dream symbols, it is very uncommon.

Identification

How are jail dreams identified?

This symbol is identified by words like jail. This symbol is part of summary dream symbols places and human-made places.

Most related

What is most related to dreams of jails?

Jails dreams are notable because they have substantially more Somalia, Bolivia, Haiti, prisoners, fingerprints, Hannibal Lecter, crime, Lebanon, police, lawyers, R2-D2 than 95% of other dream symbols.

Least related

What symbols least related to dreams of jails?

Jails do not especially suppress any other dream symbols.

Deep dive into jail dreams

Get an overview of characters, emotions, places, events, dream events, and senses in jail dreams.

Who is in dreams of jails?

Who is in dreams of jails?

Jail dreams are much more related to unnamed people, more related to strangers, and more related to family than dreams in general. They are less related to animals, less related to insects, and less related to fantastic beings.

less than usual
less than usual
much more than usual
less than usual
more than usual
the same as usual
more than usual
more than usual
What are the emotions in dreams of jails?

What are the emotions in dreams of jails?

Jail dreams are more related to hatred than dreams in general. They are less related to happiness, less related to fear, and less related to love.

less than usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
less than usual
the same as usual
more than usual
the same as usual
less than usual
Where do dreams of jails take place?

Where do dreams of jails take place?

Dreams of jails are more related to work, much more related to human-made places, and more related to transportation than dreams in general. They are less related to natural places and less related to magical places.

the same as usual
more than usual
much more than usual
more than usual
less than usual
less than usual
more than usual
What happens in dreams of jails?

What happens in dreams of jails?

Dreams of jails are much more related to aggressive acts, more related to sex, and much more related to death than dreams in general. They are less related to friendly acts and less related to disasters.

much more than usual
less than usual
more than usual
less than usual
the same as usual
much more than usual
the same as usual
How do dreams of jails related to the type of dream it is?

How do dreams of jails related to the type of dream it is?

Jail dreams are more related to recurring dreams, more related to weird dreams, and more related to vivid dreams than dreams in general. They are less related to lucid dreams and less related to sleep paralysis.

less than usual
the same as usual
more than usual
less than usual
the same as usual
more than usual
more than usual
the same as usual
the same as usual
How do dreams of jails related the senses?

How do dreams of jails related the senses?

Jail dreams are less related to hearing, less related to taste, and less related to vision.

less than usual
the same as usual
less than usual
less than usual
less than usual

How can you make sense of jails in dreams?

Jail dreams are very uncommon. Among other things jail dreams are aggressive and about death. Do you think this is true for your dream of jails? How might your dream of jails be different?

All dreams have meaning

All dreams have meaning

You can gain insight from thinking about any dream, no matter how strange. Only you, as the dreamer, have final say on what your dream may or may not mean. Each dream is unique.

Look for the differences

Look for the differences

The DreamWell dictionary provides information on how each dream symbol appears in dreams in general. Finding how experience jails in dreams can be a key to understanding its meaning.

Return to the feelings

Return to the feelings

Our emotions in dreams can help us understand its meaning. Pay attention to how you felt in the dream. Pay attention to how you feel about jails in dreams. See how you feel about jails now, in your waking life.

An interpretation of jail dreams

An interpretation of jail dreams

This interpretation is from ""The Dream Interpretation Dictionary: Symbols, Signs, and Meanings" and is provided by J.M. DeBord aka "RadOwl". He is the author of several acclaimed books about dreaming, the host of The Dreams That Shape Us podcast, and is a moderator of r/Dreams, one of the largest dream sharing communities on the internet. Being in jail is likely to be a physical representation of a personal situation. You’re trapped, confined. A situation is never-ending. Things never change. You can’t get away. See: Prisoners Dreams can begin there and branch out far and wide. For example, you have a disability that creates a perception of you that can’t be escaped—people will always see you that way—or that limits what you can do. Or you are perceived as an unintelligent or quiet person, so you are never asked for your opinion or input. You feel trapped in your body, in your life, in your head. It’s like being in jail. Racial and gender stereotyping can be confining. For example, a female working in a male-dominated profession might feel like she can’t advance because of her gender. Rules and restrictions can be confining. They can make you feel limited and trapped. Making decisions can spark a dream about being in jail. It captures the feeling that once a decision is made, it can’t be changed. It limits your freedom to choose. Beliefs can be limiting—not just religious beliefs but personal ones, such as a belief that you can’t do something because you don’t have the skill or ability. Some people avoid any sort of religious organization because they don’t want to limit their spiritual pursuits. The same idea applies to social groups. To be part of certain groups, you have to look and act a certain way and espouse certain opinions and beliefs. To some people, such conformity is equivalent to being locked in a cage or kept in a jail. “Detained” is another word for “jailed” and it can be associated with a feeling of being delayed or bogged down, in a specific situation or just in general. Or you feel you are under suspicion—suspects in crimes are detained. Jails are associated with punishment, and in dreams a jail setting can symbolize that you feel you are being punished, or that someone—yourself included—deserves punishment. For example, you can feel that an abusive or neglectful parent deserves to be punished and dream about the person being sentenced to jail. The parent might not have broken any laws, but did break your heart or spirit. That idea applies to other people in your life. If they wrong you, they deserve punishment. Dreaming about being jailed can stem from a guilty conscience—you feel that’s what you deserve. See: Guilty Jails are associated with isolation. Isolation can be involuntary, such as when you don’t have any friends. Isolation can be necessary for thinking through what’s happening in your life, or pursuing something that requires long hours of solitary concentration. In such a situation you might dream that you are sentenced to jail, symbolizing self-imposed exile. See also: Accomplices, Arresting, Bullies, Cages, Dungeons, Escaping, Fugitives, Guilty, Hostages, Jails, Police, Prisoners

Examples of dreams of jails

Reading dreams is one of the best ways to understand dream symbols. Even though the DreamWell Dream Dictionary is based upon data, it is grounded in the experience of reading thousands upon thousands of dreams. We invite you to read examples of jail dreams for yourself. These dreams are actual dreams people have had. As result, they may contain racist, sexist, violent, or otherwise offense language and imagery. This can be true even for jail dreams. Read at your own risk.

DreamWell logo

Explore your own dreams.

Download the free DreamWell app to start journaling your dreams.

Download now