Premium Essay

Jail vs Prisons

In:

Submitted By jag12988
Words 1357
Pages 6
Jails vs. Prisons

Josh Gubbs
CJA/204
November 25, 2013
Erica Veljic

When people think about jail and prison they think they are one in the same but they are not. This paper will discuss the differences between jail and prison as well as give the reader an insight into the life on an inmate and what they are introduced to when they are serving time behind bars. Probation and parole will also be discussed in addition to various kinds of prisons located throughout the United States and here in Connecticut.
The difference between a jail and a prison is a jail is where people are housed who are awaiting trial and those who have been sentenced to a year or less behind bars. Jails also hold individuals for the military, protective custody, those who were found contempt in court, and they also temporarily detain juveniles and the mentally ill. A prison is a place where those who were sentenced to more than a year behind bars and are convicted of serious crimes. Also a prison is under the jurisdiction of federal or state where as a jail is under the jurisdiction of federal, state, county, and city laws.
There are many different types of prisons as well, there are state prisons and federal prisons. The variation between the two is that state prison is where a person is sent to when they violate a state law and a federal prison is where someone goes when they violate a federal law. Now with in state and federal prisons there are multiple levels that an offender can be housed at. There are three levels to the state prison system and they are minimum, medium, and maximum. The levels of the federal prison system has five different levels and they are ADMAX (administrative maximum), high security, medium security, low security, and minimum security.
According to the Connecticut DOC (department of corrections), here in Connecticut, both the jails and prisons are

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Jail vs Prison

...Federal Prison Comparison Matrix Angel Kennedy CJS/255 March 7, 2016 Richard Gilbert Jail vs Prison Is there a difference between jail and prison, and if so, what factors separate the two? The belief each place is practically the same is a common misconception, however; there is one fundamental component in which governs the temporary or permanent placement of an offender. A jail’s and prison’s quality of food, facility resources, and availability of rehabilitative programs are all different, but; “the fundamental difference between jail and prison is the length of stay for inmates” (HG.org, 1995-2016) Jail and Its Place in Corrections The correctional mission of jails today is to use the combination of incarceration and rehabilitative methods to deter criminals from recommitting. Once officers have detained an offender, he or she is escorted to a local jail. Upon arrival, the criminal is taken into the "booking area" where he or she will undergo a process in which will determine placement: finger printing, photographing, stripping of personal property, examination, and bathing. If the criminal cannot make bond due to lack of funds or a bond was not given, the criminal will remain in custody until a trial is set, usually within the first twenty-four hours. According to BI, the average jail stay is twenty-three days, a sixty-four percent increase from fourteen days (2015). Rehabilitative programs are offered to those who have been sentenced to a year or more. The majority...

Words: 1239 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Differences in Jails and Prisons

...Differences in Jails and Prisons CRJ 303: Corrections 09/12/2011 When an individual commits a crime and is found guilty in a court of law, he or she will either be sent to jail or prison. The placement of the individual depends on the type of crime that is committed. Jail and prison are both places to send a criminal to keep them out of society and to do time for the crime that was done. There is a difference between jail and prison. Not everyone goes to jail for a crime. They may be sent to prison to serve his or sentence. In this paper I will discuss the difference between jail and prison. Jail can be defined as “a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence).” (TFD, 2011) People who go to jail do not serve a long sentence. The will be in jail no more than up to two years or less. The mission for jails is pretty simple, “jails are full service facilities that offer security, food service, medical care, and offender programs.” (Seiter, 2011, Pg. 73) Jails are operated by the by the local government in which it is in. “There are about 3,600 jails in the U.S.” (CL, 2011) Jails are funding by the state that they are located in. The average size of a jail cell is 6 x 8. “Jails don’t have many amenities for people serving time there, since they won’t be there for very long (although a jail sentence can...

Words: 694 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Jail and Prison

...Jail and Prison Kadeeja Philpot 201/CJS 3/18/2016 Dr.Bride Jail and Prison As the populace develops alongside develops crime rates. With the help of community-based programs, jails, and prisons. Criminals are being held accountable for their actions. The criminal justice system is designed for criminals to obtain their punishment as a result of the crime committed. There are different levels of punishment established from jails to prisons. Jails and prisons hold some corresponding attributes yet serve entirely diverse models in the criminal justice system. There are many people who lack knowledge of the difference. Jail vs. Prison There are four sorts of detainment facilities utilized by our courts structure: minimum security penitentiaries, low-security jails, and maximum security prisons. Least security detainment facilities would utilized for those guilty parties with crimes such as nonviolent. Low-security jails would be for misdemeanor violations, and maximum security is for those who commit a brutal crime such as murder. There are a few significant differences in jail and prison. For starter, the lengths of time inmate are confined. Jails are intended to hold prisoners are anticipating trial or serving a short sentence. After being arrested, jail is mainly the first place that criminals are taken to by law enforcement officers. Prisons are designed to hold criminals who are kept for more than a year. Another fundamental difference...

Words: 741 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Comparison of Jails and Prisons

...of Jails and Prisons Jail is usually the first place a criminals go once arrested by law enforcement. “Jails hold only about one-tenth of all offenders under correctional supervision, yet admit approximately four times as many offenders each year as all other correctional components combined” (, ). Jails intentions are to protect the public and citizens of each county by housing criminals and keep them off the streets. Majority of people cannot tell the difference when people say a criminal goes to jail when in reality he should be going to prison. There is confusion with serving time in jails and prisons. Jails are local operational correctional facilities that detain accused criminals before or after a judgment or verdict (Seiter, R., 2011). Jails usually house these criminals for no more than a year. The difference between jails and prisons is that jails are for short sentences oppose to prisons were criminals usually are incarcerated for longer periods. “The average length of stay for a jail is fifteen to twenty days, much less than the average thirty-six month length of stay within a prison”( Seiter, R., 2011p.78 p.2). Sheriffs usually operate the county jails in the different counties of each state and serve as holding of inmates before sentenced. When criminals arrested, get to the jail they will get booked, wait until they receive their sentence or bail out of jail, and await trial. Those criminals that cannot afford to post bail usually stay in jail and...

Words: 1213 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Jails and Prison Comparison

...Jails and Prisons Comparison University of Phoenix CJA/234 Ms. Pamela Collinshill June 25, 2013 Introduction: For more than two hundred years the United States has used incarceration to punish any and all criminals. Jails and prisons are the institutions that judges send criminals to so they can serve time depending on the seriousness of the crime that the individual has committed. Being incarcerated is the humane form of punishment that is used considering how they used to punish individuals back in older times, when criminal justice was looked at differently. Jails Jail is a place where a criminal is confined to temporarily while awaiting trial or conviction of any type of minor offenses. The first jails were created in England in 1166 by King Henry II. Jails were used to house poor people, displaced people, mentally ill people, and criminals and the conditions in which the jails were; dirty, little and poor food, little or no medical attention, and full of violence. When John Howard became sheriff in 1773 he was appalled by these conditions and created the Penitentiary Act of 1779. “This act created four requirements for English prisons and jails: (1) secure and sanitary structures, (2) systematic inspections, (3) abolition of fees charged to inmates, and (4)a reformatory regime in which inmates were confined to solitary cells but worked in common rooms during the day. The act also detailed the requirements...

Words: 1067 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Crime

...Jail and Comparison paper Marquita Shelton CJA/234 Bobby Kemp July 06, 2015 University of Phoenix. Introduction: For more than two hundred years the United States has used incarceration to punish any and all criminals. Jails and prisons are the institutions that judges send criminals to so they can serve time depending on the seriousness of the crime that the individual has committed. Being incarcerated is the humane form of punishment that is used considering how they used to punish individuals back in older times, when criminal justice was looked at differently. So we will be learning about the history of the jails, state and federal prison system we will learn how they are different from one another. Jails Jail is a place where a criminal is confined to temporarily while awaiting trial or conviction of any type of minor offenses. The first jails were created in England in 1166 by King Henry II. Jails were used to house poor people, displaced people, mentally ill people, and criminals and the conditions in which the jails were; dirty, little and poor food, little or no medical attention, and full of violence. When John Howard became sheriff in 1773 he was appalled by these conditions and created the Penitentiary Act of 1779. “This act created four requirements for English prisons and jails: (1) secure and sanitary structures, (2)...

Words: 1094 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Education vs Prison Funding

...“Education vs. Prison Funding” The government is responsible for security of its citizens and it is also responsible to provide a safe socio-economic environment to its people, and in this context; Jails and schools are two important institutions of any society, which need regular monetary support from the government. Thus government has to be very careful in allocating funds to both of the institutions; as one punishes the convicts and other makes the people skillful, and wise enough to get a job and earn money for family. Government has to be very careful in allocation of funds to them, as it is very critical to decide which institution should be allocated more money. The report, “Prison Spending Affecting Higher Education in California” states that in 2008 one of every 48 adults was in jail; this data states the very reason that why prisons are getting so much funding against education. We need to take very stringent and effective steps to reduce the population of prisons. The article, “Education and Public Safety (2007)” mentions that the lack of proper education is directly proportional to increase in prison population; the fact that most criminals are from some particular areas, where the high school dropout is maximum, proves this theorem. It is dangerous for the future of the society that the education in lack of subsidy and proper funding is becoming unaffordable for more and more students. The prison data shows that around 50 percent population in the prison is of 21-24...

Words: 2146 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Purpose and History Paper

...Paper For at least a century, Prisons have always been a part of society. For many decades, penitentiaries have been embedded into our society as form of rehabilitation; or in some cases, a form of order and public safety. Throughout history, penitentiaries had evolved steadily; however, some may say that these facilities have evolved into something that was never intended. With that being said, let’s explore how penitentiaries were originated. Today, Prisons are recognized as a ‘method” of corrections, as well as, a form of deterrence; however, this wasn’t the case many years ago. During the early 1600s, prisons were known as jails. These jails were recognized as temporary rehabilitation facilities for just minor offenders (National Institute of Corrections, 1986). These jail facilities instituted punishments in the forms of shackles, lashings, and hard labor on the minor offenders. Even though these facilities were known to be a huge success, they were still primarily for minor offenders. Serious offenders were still tortured, mutilated, deported, and even executed (Smith, 2006, Chapter 4). During the 1700’s, Europe & North American jails weren't so organized. Jail and workhouse administrators were allowed to anything that they wanted with their inmates. The government was very lenient. Inmates were permitted by jail keepers to do anything they pleased. Inmates were permitted to make up their own rules. While there was still prison facilities that enforced slave styled...

Words: 969 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Intro to Criminal Law

...Prison and Capital Punishment Dawn Harvilicz AIU 9/01/2013 Prison and Capital Punishment Breach of peace is a common-law offense. A breach or disturbance of the peace is an action in a place that might reasonably be predicted to affect or disturb others. Breach of the peace is usually handled as a misdemeanor, and sometimes the individual that is causing the disturbance will only be given a caution, asking that he or she stop the action in the respect of maintaining community order. The basic fundamentals between a felony offense and misdemeanor has to do with the punishment and how long prison sentence will be. The separating line between felonies and misdemeanors is not if somebody is convicted of a specific crime must be disciplined with a particular amount of time in jail or prison, however if such individual can be disciplined for a certain amount of time or sent to a particular sort of jail or prison. In states that support capital punishment (death penalty), the crimes deserving of death are felony offenses. In some states, a felony offense is assuming that it is deserving of more than a year in prison. In different states felony offense in the event that it is deserving of a detainment in a state correctional facility. A misdemeanor is usually an criminal offense that is sentenced for less then a year in a state, local, or county correctional facility. Some states have elective felony and misdemeanor criminal acts, otherwise called wobblers. This...

Words: 610 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Final Paper Gs1130

...Rehab Vs. Incarceration Should drug offenders go to rehab or jail? ITT Technical Institute Abstract This document will show why non-violent drug offenders should be given a chance to rectify their wrong doings. The research will show not only how rehabilitation programs such as DTAP are more cost effective and beneficial to an addict than prison sentences. The introduction will show how addiction can change a person so much so they end up in jail. The second and third sections will show the differences between prison and DTAP programs, while the conclusion will summarize the research findings. Rehab Vs. Incarceration Should drug offenders go to rehab or jail? Addiction Addiction has become an open conversation in America. Millions of Americans have been effected by addiction in some way or another. Many people know someone who has been effected by this terrible disease whether it be a parent, partner, sibling or friend or may have been affected themselves. This researcher has seen first-hand what addiction can do to a person. While these people stand on the sidelines watching the person they know and love turn into someone completely unrecognizable. When an addiction starts it may just be using on the weekends, here and there, or as the doctor prescribes. As time ticks on, it becomes twice as many as prescribed and before they know it, it has become every day. Eventually, they have no way to support their habit. Because their life has become such chaos there’s no...

Words: 1550 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Business

... 10//5/2012 Power point Slide Notes Ladies and Gents the Reason we should keep the the prison open is simple we don’t want to house immigrants in the u.s.a. for there felony’s so in ethical ways it would help them by feeding them and giving them water and a chance at life again through bars .Have a change of spirit by opening there eyes to the Lord and not evil. Letting them pray five times a day. Gives them three meals a day vs. being a lost soul completely in life or even death. So in another way of life it gives them a place of a haven to have good hygiene inside the jail system. They have access to a running toilet vs. being homeless in the streets creating more chaos on the earth. Moral issues To make them understand the true meaning of life through bars with reading and learning wisdom and knowledge of the smart successful business people of the world cause after all they have nothing to do but waste time so why not put it to use if there inside burning time have you ever heard the expression time is wisdom learn it why you can. Well this gives these lost souls a chance at learning positive vibes of life to better themselves. This is also a better system then any other country jail system compared to Iraq/Afghanistan and gives them also the the freedom to keep there bodies mentally and physically in shape while doing time or lifetime in the Guantanamo bay prison so in that regards of all this its acutally helpful to keep this open for lost souls on earth to...

Words: 296 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Institutional vs. Community Corrections

...Hotfelder 11/26/2012 Intro to Criminal Justice Handling the Dilemma over Community vs Institutional Corrections It is the first day of break and Jimmy wants to have a good time with his friends. Long story short, Jimmy decided to drive home drunk and crashed into another car. The driver of the other car passed away.What kind of punishment should Jimmy receive? It seems fair for him to spend time in prison. Should he see probation after the jail time? How much? This scenario helps introduce the dilemma we have today as a society about institutional vs. community corrections. Punishment for crime has always been an issue for debate. With the growth of the American colonies, the colonists needed a system of punishment for lawbreakers. Many methods developed in Europe meant to bring shame to those offenders were adopted. Around this time, the world saw a change in punishment ideology; some began to stress that humans are not perfect and make mistakes. Thus, there should be more reform as well as punish. In 1682, William Penn made a push for change. He limited the death penalty to cases of murder only and called for fines and imprisonment for most offenses. This is widely considered the beginnings of the prison system in the U.S. He also helped start the creation of jails, like the High Street Jail. The first federal prisons were established in 1891. Before this date, prisons were organized by states and territories. The establishment of parole and probation, or community...

Words: 2138 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Do the Time, Pay the Crime

...“Do the crime, pay the time.” Should we be paying for inmate’s jail time? Should they have free food, free education and a roof over their heads after committing a crime? This seems to be an ongoing topic in the United States and in Canada. Politician’s and law men think inmates shouldn’t have a free pass. The way certain people see it “Do the crime, pay the time”, and I agree. Why should we, honest, hard working tax payers spend our hard earned money for the on-going errors that inmates keep repeating? Does that make sense? In the United States alone there is approx 2.4 million people incarcerated. 2.4 million inmates! That’s almost 7% of Canada’s population. Prisons cost taxpayers more than $32 billion a year. An American study done in 2010, demonstrated that every year an inmate spends behind bars costs taxpayers anywhere from $30,000.00 to $168,000.00! So an individual sentenced to a five year sentence because of a $2,500.00 theft could costs the public more than $125,000. The cost of a life term averages $1.7 million per inmate! That’s a lot of money coming out of our pockets, your future children's pockets. Studies have shown that certain states are spending more money on prisons than education. Over the course of the last 25 years, the amount of money spent on prisons has increased by 570% while that spent on elementary and high school education was increased by only 33%. That’s a huge difference! Once again I ask, Does that seem right? So why should we pay for...

Words: 765 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Criminal Justice

...return and is defined as the act of going back to a prior place, location, situation or setting. Prison re-entry refers to the transition of offenders from prisons or jails back into the community. The concept of life in society is an important part of any reintegration of institutionalized people, including people who have been incarcerated for committing a crime. The institutionalization of a population leads to isolation, segregation and detachment of the elements of a company defining the basis of citizenship. Although individuals often returning to the community focus more on the choice of where they dwell, their long-term success in society is more likely to be dependent on the social roles they have chosen to play, to the extent that they will engage in the community and they have been prepared for this purpose during their incarceration or institutionalization. Reentry can help reduce recidivism as well as assist those who have been previously incarcerated to begin leading law abiding lives once released into society. However, overtime the importance of prisoner reentry has been drastically lowered with less emphasis on helping those to prepare for their release and with post release community integration. As a result, the shortage of reentry programs and limited responsibility of probation or parole to assist in re-entry; the rate at which people return to prison or jail is high. Keywords: reentry, recidivism, institutionalization Re-Entry and Its Effects: Institutional...

Words: 2769 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Criminal Justice Trends

...including law enforcement and the courts system. The criminal justice system will always be a significant part of social order. The world’s leader in incarceration is the United States. Prisons and jails operate around two philosophies of punishment vs. rehabilitation. The past tend was solitary confinement with no concern for inmate rehabilitation or any concern for the well-being of the inmates. Most of the increase has come from the changes in sentencing laws and policies, but not in the crime rates. These trends have stemmed in prison overcrowding and financial burdens on states to oblige a fast increasing penal system. The war on drugs sentencing policies resulted in an intense increase in incarceration for drug offenses. There was also the “Three Strikes and you Out” laws. Severe sentencing laws such as mandatory minimums are responsible for offenders to stay in prisons for a longer periods of time, also high recidivism rates. Woman in Federal and State prisons that have been incarcerated for drug offenses has increased. The women’s have histories of significant histories of physical, sexual abuse, HIV, and substance abuse. Even though violent crime has been coming down, the prisoners that are serving life sentences continues to grow (Carson & Sabol, 2012). With the prison populations increasing the new incentive is community corrections. Over the past decade the growth of offender populations has produced changes in the nature of punishment, which has an...

Words: 1253 - Pages: 6