Cryptic crossword clue
Severe sentence in novel is not prim about people 12

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

I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
I
M
P
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S
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T

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Severe sentence" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case severe sentence = imprisonment.
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 IMPRISONMENT mean?

IMPRISONMENT noun
  1. A confinement in a place, especially a prison or a jail, as punishment for a crime.

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