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No. A jail is a short-term, local holding facility. Usually, a jail is run by the city or county, and it is used to hold people pre-trial and for short sentences for misdemneanor offenses imposed by local courts.

A prison is run by the state or federal government, and is only for those who have been convicted and have been sentenced for felony offenses.

In addition, though the specifics may differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, there is typically a minimum sentence (usually MORE one year) required before a person is sent to prison; shorter sentences (LESS than one year) are usually served in the jail.

Added: The two terms are widely misunderstood and often confused and used inter-changeably in the minds of the general public, but the above is an excellent explanation.

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14y ago

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