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Jails and Prisons

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Jails and Prisons
Jails and Prisons often seem like the same type of punishment if you do not know more about them and their differences. Jails have always played an important role in our criminal justice system dating back to the Colonial period. Prisons are used to contain criminals who have already been proven guilty and are going to be sentenced to more than at least a one-year sentence. Much like the differences between jails and prisons there are also differences between federal prisons and state prisons depending on the crime committed determines which they are located. Jails are not always a permanent punishment for offenders, sometimes containing inmates who will just be there temporarily while waiting for other arrangements or protective custody. In todays society we are also facing issues where we do not have enough space and money to be able to contain inmates going through our jail and prison systems.
Jails have been used throughout history as a way of punishing not only guilty, but the accused and even to protect those who have not committed any crime what so ever. Jails have always been a local form of the criminal justice department rather than being part of the federal system. They are maintained and protected by the local sheriff department where they are located. Not everyone you would see in a jail is a criminal or an accused criminal; sometimes you may have a witness or someone who is receiving harmful threats from someone else and needs protective custody. The local jail system can provide a safe place to hold these individuals who may be in danger. Most of the inmates in the local jails systems in not there while waiting for another arrangement such as transport to prison or some other arrangement are usually there for sentences less than 1 year.
Convicts have committed

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