Legal Definitions - general jail delivery

Definition: General jail delivery refers to the process of clearing a jail by trying all inmates for the offenses they are accused of committing. It can also refer to an escape by several prisoners from a jail or a situation where there are high numbers of acquittals due to lax or reckless administration of the law or defects in the law.

• Several prisoners escaped from the jail last night, leading to a general jail delivery.
• The court ordered a general jail delivery to clear the jail of all inmates by trying them for their offenses.
• Due to defects in the law, there was a general jail delivery with high numbers of acquittals.

These examples illustrate different situations where the term "general jail delivery" can be used. The first example shows an escape by several prisoners, which is one of the meanings of the term. The second example shows the process of clearing a jail by trying all inmates, which is the original meaning of the term. The third example shows a situation where there are high numbers of acquittals due to defects in the law, which is another meaning of the term.