Legal Definitions - jail

A jail is a place where people are held while they are waiting for their trial or have been sentenced for low-level crimes. Jails are different from prisons because they are used to hold people who have committed misdemeanors, while prisons are used to hold people who have committed felonies and are sentenced to more than one year of imprisonment.

For example, if someone is arrested for shoplifting, they may be taken to a local jail to wait for their trial. If they are found guilty, they may be sentenced to a few months in jail. Another example is if someone is arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, they may be taken to a city jail to wait for their trial. If they are found guilty, they may be sentenced to a few weeks in jail.

These examples illustrate how jails are used to hold people who have committed low-level crimes and are awaiting trial or have been sentenced to a short period of imprisonment.