Jails and Prisons Response Essay

Jails and Prisons Response Prisons and jails may both confine offenders but they have their differences. Jails are for offenders that have short term sentences or for holding until the offender is transferred to a prison. They are also used to hold a criminal during their hearings until sentencing (Schmalleger, 2011). Prisons are for offenders that are sentenced to long-term or permanent confinement. They are institutions separated in to three categories depending on how serious the offense was or the mental state of the offender. There are minimum, medium, and maximum prisons (Schmalleger, 2011). All aspects of the criminals life is controlled by the authorities of the prison. This is what makes it a total institution. Depending on the crime committed and the individual they decide on which institution will be best. There are also four types of prisons which are military, juvenile, political, and psychiatric. They each have their place in the criminal justice system. The concept of prisons as a institution is total control and authority. Medical, education, and treatments are available to inmates as part of their rights. Within any institution there are different programs and departments to make it run properly. Jails play a important role in the system. They hold non-violent criminals from violent criminals. If everyone went to prison they would be over populated. Jails are beneficial because they are local and can hold offenders for short periods. A court would not want to send a offender who did not pay his parking tickets to prison for 30 days.