Jail vs Detention Center

Generally, it can be said that jails are smaller facilities that usually belongs to the local (county level) authorities even though there are still jails that are covered by state and federal control. Detention centers, in general, are larger facilities that are often regional to national in scope or coverage.

Many say that the term ‘detention center’ is a really broad name that pertains to a facility or place where persons are confined. According to the BOP (Bureau of Prison, U.S.), a detention center is a place where you confine individuals who are not yet declared convicts but are charged for something. These individuals have not qualified for bail. Nevertheless, if a person will be deemed a threat to others and even a ‘flight risk’ or somebody who might fly away just to escape the charges filed against him or her, then most likely he or she will be held captive inside the detention center prior conviction. Jails can also be described similarly.

In the U.S., detention centers can be a jail, a prison, a concentration camp, an internment camp and many other places where one or a group of people a re detained. These centers are classified as maximum, medium and minimum detention centers. Obviously the maximum security is the place where very violent criminals are housed like those who are sentenced for life imprisonment. Medium security detention centers are for those who’ll serve for middle range sentences. Compared to maximum, the prisoners in here have less criminal background. The minimum detention center, also known as a form of work camp, is meant for those who have offended a policy or law for the very first time. This is the place for those having the shortest sentences. Inmates are much more liberal in the sense that they can work around the expanse of the vicinity with little or no forceful intervention by the center’s security staff.

There are many types of detention centers. Some are very large to the point that they are already actual institutions. They can pertain to many subspecialty correctional facilities like the juvenile detention centers for non-adult offenders, the ICE (immigration and Customs Enforcement) detention center for those who reside or come to the U.S. illegally and the (controversial) military detention center for housing prisoners of war, captured spies and the like.

In summary:

1. A jail is a kind of detention center. Thus, it is a more specific term compared to detention center that encompasses jails, prisons, and camps among others.

2. Generally, jails are usually the smaller places of confinement compared to detention centers.

3. Detention center is a broad term that can include specialty facilities like juvenile, military and immigration detention centers.

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