Jails and Prisons 101

What is the difference between a prison and a jail? Which types of facilities are most conducive to Inside-Out courses? Inside-Out instructors vary in their knowledge of correctional facilities. For many, attending an Inside-Out training is the first time they have entered a prison or jail. The following is a tutorial to explain the dynamics of various types of correctional facilities. This page is in progress. Contact Tyrone Werts for more information. 

County Jails

These facilities house a mix of people. Most men and women incarcerated in jails are there as pre-trial detainees. They have been arrested, charged, and given bail, but are un-sentenced, which means their stay at the facility may be brief.

Some individuals may be detained as parole violators. That is, they were released on parole from county jail but who are now detained as a result of violating their parole.  Detainers (a writ to hold) are usually lodged against them until such time as the matter of their violation is cleared up or they are re-incarcerated.  Their stay at the facility may be slightly longer than pre-trial detainees.

Also housed in county jails are those sentenced to county jail time. What that means varies from state-to-state.  As an example, in Pennsylvania, men and women sentenced to county time can serve no more than two years maximum. Anything more than two years is considered state time and will be served in a state prison, unless the judge orders the state time to be served in the county jail. 

State Prisons

State prisons are different from county jails in that they house longer-term sentenced people. Whereas in a county jail, people are transient because of bail, dropped charges, transfers, etc., in state prisons, the population is more stable.  In the U.S., when someone is sentenced to state prison time that means they will serve two years or longer, which includes people sentenced to life-without-parole.  While men and women housed in state facilities for longer terms are stable populations, there are still occasions when you may lose a member of a class through transfer to another prison, being locked up in restrictive housing, or release at the end of their sentence.

Federal Prisons 

This system is in many ways similar to state prison systems in that they house men and women for longer periods, although the federal system also has an un-sentenced or pre-trial aspect to their system. However, if the plan is to create a Think Tank or even a class in the federal system, please be advised that we have a national federal system coordinator who can assist you in getting started. We strongly advise that, before contacting anyone in the federal system, first contact our federal coordinator, Jeri Kirby, who can be reached by email at: jkirby01@fairmontstate.edu

Youth Facilities

Security Levels 

  • Supermax Security Facility

  • Maximum (or Close) Security Facility

  • Medium Security Facility

  • Minimum Security Facility

  • Pre-Release Facility

  • Work Release Facility

  • Outside Housing Unit

  • Juvenile Detention Facility

  • Half-Way House