Jail vs. Prison vs. Detention Center

Jails are locally operated short-term facilities that hold people awaiting trial, sentencing, or both, and incarcerated people serving shorter sentences. However, due to a broken cash bail system, some incarcerated people spend years in jails. Prisons are longer-term facilities for incarcerated people run by the federal or state governments. The term “detention center” commonly refers to facilities where detained immigrants are kept while awaiting a deportation hearing or where minors serve a sentence or await trial.