The criminal justice system is complex and can be confusing to those who don’t deal with it every day. Here at All American Bail Bonds, we interact with courts, lawyers, and defendants each and every day. This knowledge is useful to our clients, who are beginning their journey in the first stages – immediately after their arrest. For this reason, our Greeley bail bondsmen are great assets as you begin fighting your criminal case. We get many questions about basic criminal justice, and work hard to answer them and keep our clients informed. Today, we’ll focus on a common one: What is the difference between jail and prison?

Main Difference Between Jail and Prison

In Colorado, and across the country, jails and prisons serve very different purposes. Here’s a simple breakdown:

• Jails: Used to house inmates temporarily while they await trial, as well as for inmates serving small sentences for misdemeanor convictions.
• Prisons: Used to house inmates who were convicted of more serious, felony offenses. This is a more “permanent” facility.

Learn More about Jails in Colorado

City and county jails are used for much different purposes than prisons. When a person is arrested, they are taken to the nearest jail and booked. For this reason, there are many more jails than there are prisons. In most cases, each jurisdiction has their own jail (in Greeley, this is the Weld County Jail) – in some cases, larger counties have more than one jail. Inmates who are housed in a jail are there for many different reasons – many were just arrested, and others are serving short sentences. Jails are constantly changing, as prisoners and defendants come and go. Jails are much more temporary than prisons.

Learn More about Prisons in Colorado

Prisons are much different than jails. Inmates who are housed in Colorado prisons have been sentenced for much more serious offenses. Once a defendant has been convicted of a felony (more serious) offense, and have been sentenced, they are sent to prison to carry out their sentence, which are usually a minimum of a few years. There are far fewer prisons in any given state, and they are usually in an underpopulated area.

Arrested? Get the Answers You’re Searching For: Call All American Bail

If you or a loved one has been arrested, call All American Bail Colorado. You need an ally as you begin your criminal case. The bail bondsman at our agency have years of experience in the criminal justice system. Not only will we be able to get you out of jail quickly, we can answer many of the questions you have about the next steps you should take. Call us today!

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