Jail vs Prison - Difference and Comparison

Also Compare

Cameras Cars Cell Phones GPS Systems Processors Tennis Players more..

From Diffen

	Jail	Prison
Holds:	People awaiting trial; people sentenced for a short duration	People convicted of crimes; sentenced for a longer term

1 Definitions
2 Difference
3 In the United States
4 See Also

[edit] Definitions

Jail: A place of detention; a place where a person convicted or suspected of a crime is detained.

Prison: A place of long-term confinement for those convicted of serious crimes.

[edit] Difference

The most notable difference is that prison inmates have been tried and convicted of crimes, while those in jail may be awaiting trial. A prison is under the jurisdiction of either federal or state, while the jail holds people accused under federal, state, county and/or city laws. A jail holds inmates from two days up to one year.

Note that this definition does not apply in the UK. Also, "Jail" may be spelt "Gaol".

[edit] In the United States

Jails are most often run by sheriffs and/or local governments and are designed to hold individuals awaiting dispostion of their case, waiting for transport to the state prison system after they have been convicted, or they are serving time on a misdemenor sentence.

State Prisons are operated by the state where the person was convicted of a felony.

Federal Prisons are operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and are designed to hold individuals convicted of federal crimes such as racketeering (RICO), bank robbery, and others.

Jails operate work release programs, boot camps, and other specialized services. They try to address educational needs, substance abuse needs, and vocational needs while managing inmate behavior. Inmate idleness contributes to management problems.

State prison systems operate halfway houses, work release centers and community restitution centers - all considered medium or minimum custody. Inmates assigned to such facilities are usually reaching the end of their sentences.