"prisoner's friend" meaning in English

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "?"
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      "expansion": "prisoner's friend",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
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          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Military",
          "orig": "en:Military",
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          "source": "w"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1990, Julian Putkowski, Julian Sykes, Shot at Dawn",
          "text": "Prior to trial a soldier would be offered the assistance of an officer to act as 'prisoner's friend'. In essence the officer acted as defending counsel, although little is heard of legally qualified officers appearing. Foolishly some men declined this assistance, although more often than not the officer was unskilled in advocacy.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1998, John Gunn, Dear Descendants: Recollections for a Gunn Family History 1945-1957, page 19",
          "text": "I was 'counsel for the defence', or 'prisoner's friend'. My chap had deserted for nearly two years and spent six months in a civvy jug. With papers under my arm and serious countenance I visited him in his cell day after day, […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An officer acting as counsel for the defendant in a court-martial."
      ],
      "id": "en-prisoner's_friend-en-noun-2x~XmD49",
      "links": [
        [
          "military",
          "military"
        ],
        [
          "officer",
          "officer"
        ],
        [
          "counsel",
          "counsel"
        ],
        [
          "defendant",
          "defendant"
        ],
        [
          "court-martial",
          "court-martial"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(military, historical) An officer acting as counsel for the defendant in a court-martial."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "military",
        "politics",
        "war"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "prisoner's friend"
}

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "?"
      },
      "expansion": "prisoner's friend",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
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        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English nouns with unknown or uncertain plurals",
        "English terms with historical senses",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "en:Military"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1990, Julian Putkowski, Julian Sykes, Shot at Dawn",
          "text": "Prior to trial a soldier would be offered the assistance of an officer to act as 'prisoner's friend'. In essence the officer acted as defending counsel, although little is heard of legally qualified officers appearing. Foolishly some men declined this assistance, although more often than not the officer was unskilled in advocacy.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1998, John Gunn, Dear Descendants: Recollections for a Gunn Family History 1945-1957, page 19",
          "text": "I was 'counsel for the defence', or 'prisoner's friend'. My chap had deserted for nearly two years and spent six months in a civvy jug. With papers under my arm and serious countenance I visited him in his cell day after day, […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An officer acting as counsel for the defendant in a court-martial."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "military",
          "military"
        ],
        [
          "officer",
          "officer"
        ],
        [
          "counsel",
          "counsel"
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        [
          "defendant",
          "defendant"
        ],
        [
          "court-martial",
          "court-martial"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(military, historical) An officer acting as counsel for the defendant in a court-martial."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "government",
        "military",
        "politics",
        "war"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "prisoner's friend"
}