Azkaban
In the wizarding world Azkaban stands for dread and terror, for cruelty and death. Nevertheless, most people are glad that Azkaban exists – the infamous wizarding prison.
It lies on a rocky island in the North Sea, of course it is untraceable for Muggles. Wizards and witches who break the laws of the magical community and are sentenced to prison term have to serve their sentence here. In most cases it is a life sentence – very few get to come out again if they have once set foot into Azkaban’s fortress. However, prison sentence is rare, one is only banned for life for very serious offences like the use of the unforgivable curses for example. Many of the inmates are followers of the Dark Lord and therefore in all likelihood will never again leave the walls of the prison. Many wizards only sleep well at night, since they know all these criminals and murderers to be behind bars. Yet even the sound of its name strikes fear and terror into the hearts of most magicians.
The facility is guarded by invulnerable beings which are called dementors. At first, they are subject to the Ministry of Magic. The only charm to which dementors are not immune is the Patronus Charm, but even this charm does not offer enduring protection against their devilish talent. Furthermore, this charm is difficult to learn and only very few can really use it in the presence of these beings, since a strong memory is necessary to produce a corporeal Patronus. Dementors have the ability to drain the inmates of their happy memories until they have to relive their worst moments over and over again. As a result of this, many are driven crazy or refuse food and die from starvation.
Albus Dumbledore had always mentioned his misgivings that the followers of Lord Voldemort were guarded with the help of those creatures which of all things were most likely to join him, should he return to power. And that is exactly what happens in the 6th volume.
Only very few wizards have ever fled from Azkaban. The most known surely is Sirius Black, who succeeds at fleeing after eleven years of imprisonment at the beginning of the 3rd volume. However, it turns out at the end that Sirius Black had been wrongly in jail. A few years earlier, Death Eater Barty Crouch junior had been smuggled out of the prison by subterfuge, however, his mother had had to die in prison instead.
