The disembodied spirits of the dead reside in either celestial paradise or spirit prison in the postmortal spirit world while they await the resurrection.¹ There is only one postmortal spirit world² for this earth,³ but it has two major parts or divisions.⁴ The entire postmortal spirit world is sometimes called prison⁵ because all spirits, regardless of station or status,⁶ are captive in this world of disembodied spirits⁷ until their resurrection.⁸ All disembodied spirits look upon the absence of their physical bodies as a kind of bondage.⁹ Disembodied spirits in the postmortal spirit world do not occupy the same space or dimension as unembodied spirits who still reside in the premortal spirit world waiting for their birth into mortality.¹⁰

A partial judgment occurs when disembodied spirits enter the postmortal spirit world at the time their physical death.¹¹ During this judgment, the spirits of the just are separated from the spirits of the unjust.¹² The spirits of the just¹³ go to celestial paradise¹⁴ where they are at peace and rest.¹⁵ The spirits of the unjust,¹⁶ on the other hand, are consigned to spirit prison,¹⁷ which is commonly referred to as hell or outer darkness.¹⁸ For the most wicked disembodied spirits, outer darkness in the spirit prison is a hellish environment that includes great torment and suffering.¹⁹

The status and condition of disembodied spirits in either celestial paradise or spirit prison²⁰ depends on their individual circumstances²¹ which include: (1) the measure of their righteousness during their mortal lives,²² (2) whether they accepted the gospel in mortality when presented with the opportunity²³ or in the spirit world for the first time after they died,²⁴ and (3) whether they received the required²⁵ earthly ordinances²⁶ of the gospel for themselves in mortality or vicariously after their death.²⁷

The status of some disembodied spirits also depends on their opportunity to receive and live the gospel in this life. Those that would have received and lived the gospel in this life if they had been given the opportunity will be blessed as heirs of the celestial kingdom.²⁸ Those that had the opportunity to hear the gospel in this life and rejected it, however, will never enter paradise or the celestial kingdom, even if vicarious gospel ordinances are performed for them.²⁹