Jail and prison are very different. After reading this article, you’ll understand some of the differences.
We often hear reported on the news stories about people being sent to prison and/or jail. Sometimes it seems those words can be used to describe the same thing, but actually they’re very different in the law enforcement world. When you know the difference between jails and prisons, you can better understand the various sentences people receive, the type of criminal they’re considered to be, and the length of stay the convict will be experiencing.
Counties and cities are generally responsible for running jails. Jails aren’t meant to house people long-term — such as for many years — but are used for those criminals with shorter sentences. Due to the fact that jails are used for shorter stays, those being held don’t have access to as many amenities and those in prisons. For example, those in jail have access to food, bathrooms, and may possibly be able to have access to a common room where they can socialize. The security in a jail is not quite as intense when compared to a prison.
Inmates in jails are usually those still waiting to go to trial, those with shorter sentences, people who have been arrested and are suspected of committing a crime, or those who haven’t yet posted bail. After these people have been booked or tried, the criminal justice system will then determine what their future will be and if they’ll remain in the jail or be moved to a prison.
A prison is much different. Either the state or Federal government will run the prison. Prisons can vary on the degree of security, but most are much more intensely secure than jails. Also, due to the fact that those convicts in prison have longer sentences the facilities offered are much more varied. For example, a prison may have a library where convicts can read or study. Additional space, such as an exercise yard, may also be part of the prison. There may be church facilities so those wishing to attend the church of their choice may do so. There may also be more common rooms in which to socialize.
Prisons are capable of holding many more inmates than jails, which allows for a larger social construct to arise. Just as in society there can be gangs, “families,” and any number of social possibilities. Due to the fact that most inmates are expected to share a cell, most convicts get involved in the social climate whether they want to or not. Usually the inmates are arranged according to type of crime. Therefore, those in for lesser offenses aren’t normally housed with those in for violent crime. Additionally, those who receive a sentence of capital punishment are kept away from the rest of the inmates in the prison.
The staff at the prison are specifically trained to deal with and handle those who have committed crimes. They have to walk a very fine line so as not to become too friendly with the inmates. They have to maintain a certain distance in order to maintain order and respect, but they must also be able to interact in order to solve problems which may arise. Due to the fact that prisons receive money from the state, sometimes prisons can become short-staffed because of budget cuts. For example, the state of California has to cut much of its budget for prisons and prison staff because of their budget shortfall. Of course, these budget cuts have a negative impact on the security and effectiveness of the prison operations.
There is on-going debate over the effectiveness of jails and prisons. Some argue that those first-time offenders come out hardened and then go on to commit even worse crimes. Others support prisons, claiming that they are a place where criminals receive just punishment while at the same time providing an opportuntiy for these individuals to improve their lives by taking classes or gaining new job skills to put to use when they are released. Regardless, prisons and jails certainly aren’t going anywhere at anytime in the near future. For the time being, we all have a vested interest in making sure they are run as efficiently and securely as can be.
Marty Craigs is an expert on prisons and related topics, such as security and security hardware. He does writing and research on a number of security-related products, such as Torx and TorxPlus security screws. Visit http://www.securityscrew.com/ to learn more about security, tamper resistant, and tamper proof screws and read about other security products.
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This post was written by admin on July 10, 2010
