Friday, September 10, 2004
Distinctions i never knew of
I always thought the words "jail" and "prison" were interchangable. Not so, explains Neil Gaiman:
Jail is the place that you hold people who are awaiting trial
Now, not that i am one to not trust the esteemed Mr. Gaiman, but i felt the need to check this out with my equally trusty on-line dictionary. And yes, Merriam Webster does generally agree:
JAIL: (1) a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody; specifically : such a place under the jurisdiction of a local government (as a county) for the confinement of persons awaiting trial or those convicted of minor crimes -- compare PRISON
PRISON: (2) a place of confinement especially for lawbreakers; specifically : an institution (as one under state jurisdiction) for confinement of persons convicted of serious crimes -- compare JAIL
color me enlightened!
Jail is the place that you hold people who are awaiting trial
Now, not that i am one to not trust the esteemed Mr. Gaiman, but i felt the need to check this out with my equally trusty on-line dictionary. And yes, Merriam Webster does generally agree:
JAIL: (1) a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody; specifically : such a place under the jurisdiction of a local government (as a county) for the confinement of persons awaiting trial or those convicted of minor crimes -- compare PRISON
PRISON: (2) a place of confinement especially for lawbreakers; specifically : an institution (as one under state jurisdiction) for confinement of persons convicted of serious crimes -- compare JAIL
color me enlightened!
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