What's the difference between jail and prison?

Answer 1

OK, well, you will get all kind of answers from people who are law enforcement. Thier version, etc. But I will tell you the difference from the other side. Jail is the worst of the two. It is boring, depressing and lack of sun is the major factor. Prison is way better. You have your own t.v., packages, books, smokes, jobs, softball, basketball, etc. you can go outside for up to 12 hours a day.

In jail, you just serve your time, and you get one hour of yard a day which is actually a cement room with a open ceiling with a steel mesh over it.

Jail=Sucks
Prison=Tolerable

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Jails have a maximum time limit of which a person can be held [1 year, in most places], and prison doesn't have a limit on the amount of time a prisoner is sentenced. Not to mentioned, the environment and inmates are always changing, because jails are mostly for processing, awaiting trial & sentence, and misdemeanors. Prisons are meant to house & rehab [if possible], long term offenders.

Answer 4

A Jail is a local correctional establishment usually run by The Sheriff's Department. The jail is basically a middle point for people incarcerated within it's walls. It houses inmates who are awaiting trial and to see if they are eligible for bail, and it basically is a weigh station between whether or not the inmate is going home or going to prison.
2. A prison or penitentiary is a state Department of Corrections or any Federal Facility designed to house prisoners who have already been in jail, have been to court, been found guilty of their crimes and are serving out their court ordered sentence in the prison. I hope that helps. Source: I am a Deputy Sheriff

Answer 5

In jail, inmates await their trial and go through the court process. Once convicted and sentenced, they are being sent to prison to serve their sentence. Condition-wise, jails are mush worse than prisons in terms of food, housing, etc.

Answer 6

Jail is a place that people are taken to for local, city or county crimes, not state or federal crimes. If people are tried and sentenced in a county court, they are usually taken to a county jail, most of the time for short term sentences. If someone is convicted in local, state or federal court for crimes which have broken state or federal laws, they are sent to a state or federal prison. It just depends on how the case is tried and sentenced by the judge. Sometimes overcrowding plays a part and a person could be sent just about anywhere. Sometimes people are sent to county jails as well while they are simply awaiting trial and cannot make bail.

Answer 7

jail is just a stepping stone to prison. Jail you don't have to do anything. Prison is a whole different ball game. Never been in either hope i never will. Love my freedom too much.

Answer 8

Jail holds misdemeanors and felons. Jail sentences can not extend past one year. You can be convicted of a felony and still stay at the jail level.
Prison holds only felons. People convicted of a felony. You can not go to prison for a misdemeanor charge. Prison terms must be longer then 1yr.

Answer 9

Jail inmates are those people sentenced for less than a year, and inmates in prison have sentences that last a year or longer. People in jail can be awaiting trial or bail, but they can also be people who have been already sentenced for less than a year. Both misdemeanors and felonies can be housed in jails and prisons.

Answer 10

I think they are about the same thing. But I think jails tend to be smaller than prisons. Your city or town runs a jail, but your state and country run prisons.