Prisonball is played much like the original dodgeball

Dodgeball

Dodgeball is any of a variety of games in which players try to hit other players on the opposing team with balls while avoiding being hit themselves. This article is about a well-known form of team sport with modified rules that is often played in physical education classes and has been featured...

 game, except when a player is hit, he gets put in "prison" behind the opposing team. To get out of prison, the player needs to receive a pass from a teammate while in the designated prison area. The way in which prisoners are released varies by region. "Prisoners" remain behind the opposing team until the game is over or they released according to the current ruleset.

Variations

Prisonball works essentially the same way as "Prisonball" above. However, the prison is extended to the sides of the opponent's court, as well as the back. No one may be released from prison, however, anyone in prison is allowed to collect balls and attack the opposite team, provided they do not enter their court. This makes for a hectic game since as players are eliminated, teams will eventually be attacked from all four sides. The last team with a member remaining not in prison wins.

Sometimes in "prisonball," a ball thrown to a "prison," when caught, releases all the "prisoners" to their original side. Some variations make it so that prisoners can not attack opposing players, but if someone from their team on their side throws a ball and they catch it, they can come back in.

In some cases, a "buddy ball" is used and when caught, 2 people come back in. Sometimes, a player in prison is not allowed to take an active part in the game at all, but when any player is put in jail, everyone they put in jail is free. Thus, if a player does not see who hit them, they are trapped for the rest of the game.

Another variation particular for when playing on basketball court

Basketball court

In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor with tiles at either end. In professional or organized basketball, especially when played indoors, it is usually made out of a wood, often maple, and highly polished...

s is that if the one team throws a dodgeball and it lands in the opposing teams basketball basket, all of their prisoners are freed. There are even more variations. Prisoners only get out of prison when someone on their team catches a ball, but prisoners can still throw balls at the other team to get them out. Prisoners are released in the order that they are put into prison.

Another usually standard rule is that "caught" balls are equally considered such (for the purposes of getting taken out or put back in) whether they are thrown by active team member or prisoners. This variation of prison ball was invented in Adelaide

Adelaide

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

Also known as Jail Ball or Jailbreak follows the same rules as normal Dodgeball, except that it incorporates the goal boxes on either end of the court; they are referred to as "jails." When a player gets out, he goes to "jail." In order for a player to get out of jail he must use a ball to get a player on the opposing team out. At this point the player is released from jail to play once more, and the other player goes to jail. This version dates back to 1966, and is also sometimes known as Prisoner Dodgeball.

Also played with being released from jail by catching a ball thrown from your own team from across the court, they would then get free passage to the other side, this version is w/o the ability to hit the other team while in jail.