Cryptic crossword clue
Role narcotic plays – characteristic of some prisons? 12

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word CORRECTIONAL

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
C
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "characteristic of some prisons" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case characteristic of some prisons = correctional.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does CORRECTIONAL mean?

CORRECTIONAL adjective
  1. Of, pertaining to, or intended for correction.
  2. Of or pertaining to the imprisonment or rehabilitation of convicted criminals.

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