Reference no: EM133535125

Question

Do you agree and why. Every country has a system of law and order similar to our own criminal justice system. All have some form of incarceration as a punishment for crime. The pathway to this punishment requires a place to house people awaiting conviction and a place for them to be incarcerated after sentencing as the final punishment. The purpose of a jail is to detain people who have been arrested, awaiting trial, or sentencing. Jails are generally for short periods, usually less than a year. Prisons are to incarcerate individuals who have already been convicted of a crime and sentenced to serve time in prison. Prisons are supposed to be responsible for the rehabilitation of inmates with programs. Prisons tend to have larger capacities than most jails. Jails do not need to be as large as people are generally passing through. Prisons have large capacity's because they see very little turnover. Jails tend to have lower security levels that prisons. Jails have fewer resources than prisons and fewer activities. This results in less freedoms for inmates in jails. Prisons have better medical resources than jails and can provide longer term and full time medical care. Jails and prisons both controlled by the same laws that govern incarceration, at the federal and state level. Jails and prisons are two important parts of the criminal justice system that do the same thing but serve different purposes. Jails are meant for short-term stays, while prisons are meant to house long-term convicts. Jails have smaller capacities, lower security levels, and a high turnover rate compared to prisons. Both institutions are managed by the same laws. Understanding the difference between jails and prisons is a basic concept for people to grasp who are in any way involved in the criminal justice system. One reason jails may be more prone to violence is an aspect of jail gang politics known as proving yourself to your gang prior to prison. There is no written rule about this but my own time working in the jail taught me this. Inmates who are expecting to go to prison soon and are involved in gangs and politics in jail, are likely to commit an act of violence to earn respect in their future prison. It is easy to see the shift in a person when they suddenly realize they are about to spend a long time in prison. They get more comfortable and come to terms with their situation. The seem to act like they have nothing to lose. They seem like they are willing to do almost anything and hurt anyone to earn respect and credibility since they are already incarcerated and there is not much more that can be done to them. That act of violence in county jail will carry with them to prison and start them off at a higher ranking in their future prison gang which will be their family for maybe the rest of their life. It is like knowing you are about to move to a new duty station and new platoon in the military. If you are presented with an opportunity to go to a school/training and/or promote to a new rank now, you will be better seated when you arrive at your new place and you will have to do less work to prove yourself in the new unknown place.