The fundamental difference between jails and prisons is the duration of stay for inmates, where jails are intended for short sentences and temporary confinement. Prisons are designed for the long-term confinement of inmates convicted of felony crimes. Jails are operated by local law enforcers and are designed to serve smaller populations. People convicted of minor crimes or those at the pre-trial stage are confined in jails. Prisons are operated by the state or federal government. Prisons provide different programs to inmates, including education programs. Since they are designed for long-term incarceration, prisons are more developed with better facilities compared to jails. Knowing the difference between jails and prisons is important as one will become more aware of how the criminal justice system works.
Parole and probation allow convicted inmates to avoid jail terms or be released from jail after serving a short portion of their sentencing. Parole is granted to the offender after they have served part of their sentencing in jail. Probation is ordered by the court system where the offender is allowed to serve their sentence in their community under the supervision of a probation officer instead of going to jail. Probation is determined by the seriousness of the crime committed and whether the offender is a threat to the community (Helps & Curry, 2019). It is ordered when circumstances and crime committed suggest that the offender is not a threat to society. The probationer must, however, must abide by the probation conditions. Parole eligibility is determined by parole boards which depend on the nature and severity of the offense, time served, level of remorsefulness by the offender, and whether the offender is a threat to the community (Reittz & Rhine, 2020 ). Probation and parole can be revoked if the offender fails to abide by the set regulations.
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Imprisonment as a form of correction does not help, in my opinion. Jails and prisons should do more such as ensuring that the offender enrolls in programs to help him or her reform. Parole and probation can be effective, but the conditions that the parolee or probationer has to abide by are often complicated, and they may end up reoffending. More needs to be done to improve the concept of correction within the criminal justice system.
References
Reitz, K. R., & Rhine, E. E. (2020). Parole Release and Supervision: Critical Drivers of American Prison Policy. Annual Review of Criminology , 3 (1), 281–298. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-criminol-011419-041416
Phelps, M. S., & Curry, C. (2017). Supervision in the Community: Probation and Parole. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice . https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264079.013.239
