Jails and Prisons
Jails and Prisons
Nicholas Davis
CJA/204 - INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
University of Phoenix
Christopher Cannon
May 13, 2013
Jails and Prisons Have you ever sat back and thought about what prison or jail is like? Is it just like in the movies or do inmates really not get that much free time? What is the difference between prison and jail? When talking about different kinds of prisons and the level at which they are labeled the three that come to mind are minimum, medium, and high security. Minimum is for your more white collar criminals that are non-violent offenders. Medium is the most common which houses violent offenders and has armed guards. High security is for the most dangerous and violent criminals. I live in Denver Colorado and when comparing the Denver county jail with the prison in Florence Colorado there are some major differences that I found between them. The jail houses inmates that get lots of recreational time, television where majority rules apply, work release programs, and after spending 50% of their sentence they can become eligible for early parole unless they are a sex offender then they have to serve 75% of their sentence. The prison however is a super max prison which means it houses the worst of the worst when it comes to prisoners. Here they are in solitary confinement 23 hours a day for at least one year. It is used to house inmates for only 3 years then they get sent to other prisons to finish out their sentences. This prison is said to be a cleaner version of hell. Jail and prison culture’s is a losing battle for the prison system. The jails try to do their best at segregating gangs but they are very limited because of the resources that are available to them. The subculture of life in prison and jail is one that speaks of brotherhood and bonds that are not going to be broken easily. In the subculture of prison life there are hierarchies, family and gang ties, and a unwritten code amongst inmates that they live
Nicholas Davis
CJA/204 - INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE
University of Phoenix
Christopher Cannon
May 13, 2013
Jails and Prisons Have you ever sat back and thought about what prison or jail is like? Is it just like in the movies or do inmates really not get that much free time? What is the difference between prison and jail? When talking about different kinds of prisons and the level at which they are labeled the three that come to mind are minimum, medium, and high security. Minimum is for your more white collar criminals that are non-violent offenders. Medium is the most common which houses violent offenders and has armed guards. High security is for the most dangerous and violent criminals. I live in Denver Colorado and when comparing the Denver county jail with the prison in Florence Colorado there are some major differences that I found between them. The jail houses inmates that get lots of recreational time, television where majority rules apply, work release programs, and after spending 50% of their sentence they can become eligible for early parole unless they are a sex offender then they have to serve 75% of their sentence. The prison however is a super max prison which means it houses the worst of the worst when it comes to prisoners. Here they are in solitary confinement 23 hours a day for at least one year. It is used to house inmates for only 3 years then they get sent to other prisons to finish out their sentences. This prison is said to be a cleaner version of hell. Jail and prison culture’s is a losing battle for the prison system. The jails try to do their best at segregating gangs but they are very limited because of the resources that are available to them. The subculture of life in prison and jail is one that speaks of brotherhood and bonds that are not going to be broken easily. In the subculture of prison life there are hierarchies, family and gang ties, and a unwritten code amongst inmates that they live
References: ADX Florence. (2009). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADX_Florence Schmallager, F. (2011). Criminal justice today: An introductory text for the 21st century (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ. Pearson/Prentice Hall Want to learn about Denver County Jail. (2013). Retrieved from http://countyjail.net/Colorado/Denver-County-Jail/