What is ASYLUM? Definition of ASYLUM in Black's Law Dictionary
A sanctuary, or place of refuge and protection, where criminals and debtors found shelter, and from which they could not be taken without sacrilege. Cromie v. Institution of Mercy, 3 Bush (Ky.) 391.
Shelter; refuge; protection from the hand of justice. The word includes not only place, but also shelter, security, protection.
A fugitive from justice, who has committed a crime in a foreign country, "seeks an asylum" at all times when he claims the use of the territories of the United States. In re De Giacomo, 12 Blatchf. 395, Fed.Cas.No.3,747. Every sovereign state has the right to offer an asylum to fugitives from other countries, but there is no corresponding right on the part of the alien to claim asylum. In recent years this right of asylum has been voluntarily limited by most states by treaties providing for the extradition (q. v.) of fugitive criminals.
In time of war, a place of refuge in neutral territory for belligerent war-ships.
An institution for the protection and relief of unfortunates, as asylums for the poor, for the deaf and dumb, or for the insane. Lawrence v. Leidigh, 58 Kan. 594, 50 P. 600, 62 Am.St.Rep. 631. The term may also include a hospital constructed and maintained by the United States government for the treatment of soldiers and exsoldiers. Kemp v. Heebner, 77 Colo. 177, 234 P. 1068, 1069.
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That's the definition of ASYLUM in Black's Law Dictionary - Courtesy of Cekhukum.com.
