Jails and Penitentiaries sound similar due to their job and facilities, but many differences make the two places different from each other. Jails and Penitentiary have different criminals.
The punishments are different for criminals. Different governments handle jails and Penitentiaries. Crimes define whether the criminal will be in Jail or Penitentiary.
Key Takeaways
- Jail is used to detain people awaiting trial or serving short sentences, while a penitentiary is used to house long-term prisoners.
- Local authorities run jails, while state or federal governments run prisons.
- Penitentiaries have higher security levels and more advanced rehabilitation programs than jails.
Jail vs Penitentiary
The difference between Jail and a Penitentiary is Jail keeps those criminals who are given punishment for fewer than one year, but a Penitentiary could be a place where criminals are given punishment for quite one year. Jail comes under the government, but the state or federal takes care of the Penitentiary.
Jail is perhaps the mildest detaining room of all of them. It’s the place where the convict is placed while awaiting his trial.
Each cell holds about 20 men and ladies, many wearing their usual uniforms still with small wooden shackles on their wrists to keep them from slipping free easily or banging against each other during confinement.
A penitentiary may be a place where inmates are confined, for a set term of years, to be punished for the crime they committed.
The word comes from the Latin “penitentiaries,” meaning “to atone,” which is the primary function of the penitentiary. The French developed the penitentiary system and became popular within us during the 19th century.
Comparison Table
| Parameters Of Comparison | Jail | Penitentiary |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A criminal is taken to jail for the punishment of less than or one year | A criminal whose punishment is for more than one year. |
| Type of crimes | Less severe crimes | More severe crimes |
| Government | Local | State or federal |
| Type of criminals | Minor crime criminals | Major crime criminals |
| Punishments | Minor | Major |
| Environment | Crowded | Proper with basic facilities |
What is Jail?
Every day four trains arrive at that jail heading towards Prisons 1, 3 & 5; therefore, prisoners 6-12 may only be detained when they have not arrived yet! If a prisoner misses any train, it could mean months
away before he can go home again – which means even if you don’t arrive after hours, it’s still much harder to know how long your loved ones will stay behind bars than just knowing whether someone has made bail, etc.
Jail is synonymous with shorter detention times for a variety of violent crimes, from gang rapes to robbery. Some are treated as juvenile offenders and receive an adult sentence, but others get longer sentences because they appear less dangerous on trial.
The state may keep other prisons (such as juvenile prisons) open on short-term parole when they’re needed most and provide adequate transportation to facilitate their use by residents returning
from a prisoner’s incarceration in an area where people are not arrested at random.
“Prisoners” refer strictly to prisoners who’ve been imprisoned longer than 30 days and have committed no crimes.
A person is considered under arrest once he has been made bail. Subjecting someone into custody with any criminal intent; subjecting another individual subjected himself to some degree of more serious crime.
What is Penitentiary?
A penitentiary is a physical structure designed to keep people inside. There are enough reasons to build a penitentiary, but the main one is to keep people who have committed crimes inside and to punish them for such crimes.
The idea of building a penitentiary has been around since ancient times, but it was during the 19th century that the idea started taking shape in America.
The first modern prison was built in Philadelphia in 1829, and at that time, it had only 4 cells. Today, the trend of building and operating prisons is increasing with every passing year.
The United States has the highest prison population in the world. The US penal system has been criticized as too harsh and not especially effective at reducing crime.
Research shows that the most successful states do two things: First, they spend money on education and social services rather than prisons.
Second, their politicians are willing to take on the tough job of addressing racial inequalities in the criminal justice system.
Looking at the topic from a different angle, consider that several US states have a new revenue stream – they’re leasing out their prisons to private companies. The company pays for the construction and upkeep.
Main Differences Between Jail and Penitentiary
- A criminal is taken to Jail for a punishment of less than one year, but the Penitentiary is for criminals whose punishment is for more than one year.
- Jail keeps criminals for less severe crimes, but a Penitentiary is for more severe crimes.
- Jail comes under local government, but Penitentiary comes under state or federal government.
- Jail is for minor crime criminals, but Penitentiary is for major crime criminals.
- Criminals in Jail are given minor punishments, but Criminals in Penitentiary are given punishments and then rehabilitation.
- Jail can be crowded, but Penitentiary has better facilities.
- https://psycnet.apa.org/get-pe-doi.cfm?doi=10.1037/e557002006-001
- https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/abstractdb/AbstractDBDetails.aspx?id=138512
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