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Do you know that since 2000, the world prison population has grown by almost 20%? (Fact Retriever: Surprising Prison Facts) No one would want their loved ones to end up in prison. But the thing about life is that it is unpredictable, and some things are out of our control.
It is really emotionally and mentally challenging, especially for a parent to watch their child get locked up. After all, life inside a jail is definitely not like the one we live outside, it has its own routines, customs, culture, and many other things.
Most people are unaware of these differences and how the jail system works. If you are one of them and curious to know more about this world, this parental guide is for you. So, stay tuned as we walk through all the important aspects of this topic.
Is There Any Difference Between Jail And Prison?
Many people confuse jails with prisons, but obviously, they are different and convicts serve there for different reasons. Jails are short-term holding places, intended for people who have recently been arrested or are awaiting sentencing. If not all, that’s at least the case with Riverside County Jails and several others. A large percentage of people who are “sitting” in jail are waiting to be transferred to a prison.
Additionally, jails are usually under the jurisdiction of counties, cities, or local districts and are operated by local law enforcement authorities, such as police chiefs, sheriffs, etc. Detainees sentenced to serve relatively short sentences are normally housed in local jails.
On the other hand, people who end up in prison serve longer confinement periods. Prisons are under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, or a state department of corrections. Individuals sentenced will be put either to a federal prison or to a state prison, depending on the prosecutor who brought the charges.
DO YOU KNOW? According to a 2023 report, El Salvador had the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 1,086 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants.
Discussing Different Types Of Jail
Various types of jails inside the localized municipalities can be found in the United States, two of the important ones are discussed below:
Local jail – A local jail can be defined as an administrative holding cell in which people requiring brief confinement are held until the processing is completed.
County jail – County jail offers incarceration for individuals accused of crimes that aren’t much severe, within a county of a particular state.
Things That Prisons And Jails Have In Common
Even though prisons and jails have quite a few differences, there are still a couple of things these two facilities have in common.
For starters, people ending up in them are usually living in conditions that are extremely difficult and harsh.
They have to constantly deal with violent and abusive inmates and cells that are overcrowded with people.
If by any chance an inmate gets sick, in most situations, they are not given the proper healthcare.
What about the food? Well, to say that the food they are consuming is tasteless and poor quality would be an understatement. Normally, their diet consists of processed food that’s extremely unhealthy and meals that hardly ever contain something tasty.
These facilities receive millions and millions of dollars each year, but it doesn’t mean that the overall conditions are at an admirable or even acceptable level. This is particularly the situation when it comes to the convicts’ safety.
As mentioned before, a vast majority of detainees are continuously exposed to all kinds of violent behaviors that often put their lives in danger. The bottom line is that even if someone ends up in jail for a couple of days, they will most likely still have a hard time residing there.
And how can we forget the fact that when you are in jail even for a short period of time, in most cases, you end up losing your job, meaning that you won’t be able to properly (financially) support yourself and/or your loved ones like you once did?
Also, a conviction even for younger folks may have negative and lasting effects on them, which is known as a collateral consequence. So what does it imply? It implies that they usually aren’t allowed to have a normal education, find a good job, and secure housing.
In fact, numerous studies and reports have proven that a vast majority of people who are convicted are forced to survive with extremely low salaries. Additionally, most of them (regardless of their age) will, at some point, be required to go back to their communities.
Talking about the conviction, the statistics suggest that black people are more likely to get arrested and receive higher lengths of incarceration longer than white people.
FUN FACT In Brazil, some inmates have the opportunity to reduce their sentences by reading books and writing book reports. They can reduce their sentences by up to 4 days (up to 48 days per year) for each book they read.
It is a common misconception among people that jail and prison are practically the same, which isn’t the real story. From all that we discussed in this article, you must have understood that there are certain differences between them, however, the similarity between them is the fact that everybody who is sent there is encountered with severe and harsh living conditions.
Gaurav Rathore
