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Difference between a Jail and Prison in America?
I live in Australia, and we only have Gaol's. Then I was watching an American show on television where people were in a 'Jail' before it's decided if they go to prison. Just wondering what the difference is.
8 Answers
- lestermountLv 79 years agoFavorite Answer
A jail is a local or country or sometimes a state facility, and is used to house people before trial and can be used for sentences of 1 year or less.
A prison is a long term facility where prisoners are housed for terms of more than one year.
A prison is larger, has more people, and is better for long term.
In jails people are put in holding cells where many people can be held together, in prison the people are in cells of not more than 4 and often only 2 people are housed.
- CAPTREELv 49 years ago
Generally, a jail is a local facility (City or County) where people are held for trial and sentenced for misdemeanors. A prison is a State or Federal facility where people are held after conviction for a felony.
There are exceptions. Some states (like Rhode Island) run the jails as well as the prisons. Some states allow felons to serve time in jail rather than move them to the prisons, which are more expensive to operate.
Source(s): www.aja.org; www.aca.org - RobLv 79 years ago
JAil is considered a local holding for
criminals b4 they go to prison.
Prisons are controlled by the State's government.
Jails are controlled by city or county government.
Prisons also can b federal control.
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- ALv 49 years ago
Jail is for people who haven't been sentenced, people who have just been arrested and people with shorter sentences. Prison is for people who sentences over a year.
Source(s): My crazy life. - IndigoLv 59 years ago
Jail and prison are the same thing, but when someone is arrested they will be put in a holding cell (or a temporary jail) before they go to court for their sentence, which decides if they're going to be in prison/jail for longer, but at that point they are transferred to a long-term facility.
- 4 years ago
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