Most often, jails are run by sheriffs or local governments and they are designed to hold individuals awaiting for their trials or serving their sentences. Prisons, on the other hand, are operated by the state and the Federal Bureau of Prisons and they are designed to hold people convicted with a crime. Moreover, jails operate work release programs and specialized programs which address educational needs, substance abuse needs, and vocational needs while managing inmate behavior. Prisons
operate halfway houses work release centers and community restitution centers. In other words, a jail is a security facility where three types of inmates are hold: first, people who have been arrested and being held until their trial, second, people who have been convicted with misdemeanor criminal offense, and those who serve a sentence typically less than one year, and third, people who have been sentenced to prison and are about to transfer to another facility. Prison is a security facility that houses people who have been convicted of a felony criminal offense and are serving a sentence of typically one year or more.
