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The Difference Between County Jail and State Prison in Florida

The Difference Between County Jail and State Prison in Florida

County jails and state prisons serve different purposes in Florida’s criminal justice system. While they both hold individuals who have been accused or convicted of crimes, there are some key differences between the two types of facilities.

What is County Jail?

County jails are locally operated short-term detention facilities that are usually run by a county sheriff’s department. Jails primarily hold three types of inmates:

• People who have been arrested and are being held pending a plea agreement, trial, or sentencing.
• People who have been convicted of misdemeanors and sentenced to less than one year of incarceration.
• People who have violated the terms of probation or parole.

Jails are designed for short-term stays. The average length of stay in a Florida county jail is 20 days. Jails provide basic services to inmates including food, medical care, and access to bathrooms. Most jails have minimal programming and few opportunities for inmates to better themselves through education or job training.

Jail populations fluctuate daily as people are arrested, make bail, complete sentences, or get transferred to other facilities. On an average day, around 70,000 people are held in Florida’s county jails.

What is State Prison?

State prisons are long-term facilities run by the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC). The primary purpose of prisons is to incarcerate people convicted of felonies and sentenced to more than one year of confinement.

Prisons are also used to hold some pre-trial felony defendants who have been denied bond. However, most of the inmates in state prisons have already been convicted and sentenced. The average length of stay in a Florida prison is 6.5 years.

Florida has 50 major prison facilities housing over 80,000 inmates. Prisons are much larger than jails and house hundreds or even thousands of inmates. They have more extensive facilities and programming aimed at long-term rehabilitation and skills development.

Prisons provide inmate education programs, vocational training, faith-based services, substance abuse treatment, and other activities. Health care is provided by medical and mental health professionals employed by the FDC. Prisons have facilities like dining halls, recreation yards, libraries, and visitor centers that are not found in jails.

Key Differences Between Jails and Prisons

While jails and prisons both confine individuals accused or convicted of crimes, they serve different purposes in the criminal justice system. Here are some of the key differences:

• Length of stay: Jails are for short-term detention while prisons hold inmates for much longer sentences. The average jail stay is 20 days compared to 6.5 years in prison.
• Type of inmates: Jails hold people awaiting trial or serving short county sentences. Prisons incarcerate those serving long state sentences for felony crimes.
• Size and scale: Jails are relatively small with basic services while prisons are large facilities with many specialized services and programs.
• Administration: Jails are run by county sheriffs while prisons are operated by the state department of corrections.
• Rehabilitation services: Prisons offer more educational, vocational, treatment, and rehabilitation programs suited for long-term inmates. Jail programming is minimal.
• Security levels: Prisons have varying security levels from minimum to maximum. Jails hold all security classifications together.
• Health care: Prisons employ full-time medical and mental health staff to care for inmates. Jails provide basic health services and refer out for advanced care.
• Cost: It costs around $60 per day to house an inmate in jail compared to $60-$80 per day in prison. Prisons are more expensive to operate.
• Culture: Jail culture is transient with people coming and going while prisons have more stable populations that develop an inmate culture.
• Oversight: Jails are monitored by local government while prisons are overseen by state corrections departments and the federal government.

So in summary, jails are locally run short-term facilities while prisons are long-term state facilities with enhanced programming and services tailored for multi-year sentences. Both play important roles in punishing criminal offenses and hopefully rehabilitating people for reentry into society.

Typical Experiences in Jail vs. Prison

The different purposes of jails and prisons lead to very different experiences for the inmates held in each. Here is an overview of typical daily life in a Florida county jail compared to a state prison:

Daily Life in Jail

When someone arrives at jail after their arrest, the first stop is booking and intake. The inmate has their fingerprints taken, photos for a mugshot, and a thorough search. All personal belongings are confiscated.

After intake, inmates are placed in a holding cell with other new arrivals. Once classified, they are moved to a general housing unit. A cell will typically hold 6-10 inmates sharing a common dayroom. Some jails have dormitory pods instead of cells.

Time in jail is usually unstructured. Inmates are released for recreation time and meals in the jail’s common areas. There are few organized activities. Inmates spend most of their time in their cells or dayrooms. Basic medical services are provided but counseling and mental health treatment are limited.

Family can visit at specified times during the week, with visits taking place across a glass barrier. Inmates can make collect calls from the phones in their pods. Meals are prepared in the jail kitchen and served in the pods. Commissary items like snacks, toiletries, and stationery can be purchased.

An average day in jail involves a lot of boredom punctuated by drama and disputes between cellmates. The environment is noisy, uncomfortable, and often unsafe due to overcrowding and lack of staff.

Daily Life in Prison

Prison life has more structure and strict scheduling. Inmates are told when to wake up, eat, work, exercise, and sleep. Movement is limited to avoid inmates from different housing units interacting.

Prison cells are smaller than jail cells and usually hold 2-4 inmates. There is less privacy but also less chaos than a crowded jail. Maximum security units may hold inmates alone in a cell.

Mornings start early with the breakfast meal. Inmates then report to their prison job or vocational program. Prisoners do maintenance, kitchen duty, laundry, landscaping and other work to keep the prison running. After the workday ends, inmates have recreation time.

Prisons have facilities like ball courts, weight piles, and hobby craft rooms. Some prisons offer group activities like softball or Scrabble clubs. Televisions in the pods provide entertainment. Libraries give inmates access to books and computers.

Prisons have visitation rooms for family visits and conjugal visits for spouses. Prison food is higher quality with menu choices at every meal. Medical, mental health, education, religious services, and rehabilitation programs are readily available.

Violence occurs but prisons have more control over inmates. Gang activity is common as inmates form groups for protection and status. Contraband smuggling is an issue. Some prisoners exploit others or deal drugs.

How Inmates Are Affected by Jail vs. Prison

Spending time confined in either a jail or prison is challenging. However, the different environments have diverse psychological impacts on inmates.

Jail is disorienting and chaotic. The lack of privacy and constant noise causes anxiety and sleep deprivation. Short sentences don’t give inmates time to adjust before being released. Jail can seem scarier because of the unknown of being newly arrested.

Prison has more structure and predictability. Long sentences allow inmates to establish routines. Prisons feel safer to some inmates who can find a group to join. But years of confinement takes a toll. Isolation from society leads to depression and institutionalization.

Neither experience is easy. Jail can be traumatic, especially for first-time offenders arrested for minor crimes. But even hardened criminals struggle with the deprivation of years in prison. Some inmates have described jail as doing “hard time” while prison is “a lot of time.”

Special Jail and Prison Populations

Beyond typical inmates, jails and prisons contain some specialized populations with unique needs.

Mentally Ill Inmates

A lack of public mental health services has led to many people with psychiatric disorders ending up incarcerated. Estimates suggest over 50% of jail and prison inmates have mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe depression.

Jails often serve as the largest psychiatric facilities in a county. Correctional officers without mental health training are ill-equipped to handle unstable inmates. Prisons have some special housing units and treatment programs for mentally ill prisoners. But critics argue confinement worsens mental health issues while providing inadequate care.

Youthful Offenders

While jails house adult inmates only, Florida prisons hold a small population of youthful offenders. Prisoners sentenced as juveniles were previously held in youth detention centers until age 21. Now most serve their full sentences in adult prisons.

Young inmates incarcerated with much older prisoners are at greater risk of sexual victimization. Florida has specialized prison facilities for youthful offenders that aim to provide protection and age-appropriate programs. But some experts believe youths should be kept separate from adult prisoners.

Death Row Inmates

Prisoners who receive death sentences live in special housing on Death Row. Florida State Prison near Starke has the largest Death Row in the nation with over 300 condemned inmates.

Death Row inmates spend 23 hours a day in solitary cells adjacent to the execution chamber. They have restricted privileges and increased security. After all appeals are exhausted, the death warrant is signed scheduling the execution.

How Inmates Stay Connected to Outside World

Maintaining contact with supportive friends and family reduces recidivism rates among ex-offenders. But staying connected to life outside jail or prison is challenging:

Communication

Inmates can send and receive letters with family and friends. Phone calls are allowed but are time-limited, recorded, and expensive. Some facilities have video visitation. Email, social media, and internet access are restricted.

Visitation

Families can visit inmates at set times based on security status. Contact is limited and visits are recorded. Some prisons allow overnight family visits for good behavior. Research shows in-person visits aid rehabilitation.

Media

Prisons and most jails allow books, newspapers, and magazines. Some provide shared televisions. Educational TV and radio programs are common. Violent, obscene, or crime-related media is banned. Internet, video games, and personal electronics are prohibited.

Privileges

Good behavior lets inmates earn privileges like extra recreation time, TV access, or private family visits. Bad behavior results in loss of privileges. Privileges incentivize cooperation while preventing boredom.

Staying engaged with outside supporters provides inmates hope and motivation to reform. But security concerns limit their connectivity. Prisons try balancing safety with helping inmates maintain close community ties.

How Inmates are Prepared for Release

Ideally, jails and prisons not only punish criminal acts but also rehabilitate inmates to reduce recidivism. Reentry programs aim to ease ex-offenders back into society.

Education

Many prisons have education programs from basic literacy through college courses to prepare inmates for careers after release. Some jails offer GED preparation or short-term vocational training.

Job Training

Prison vocational programs teach trades like auto repair, welding, construction, and computer coding. Some prisons require inmates to work so they gain job experience. Jails offer fewer vocational opportunities due to short stays.

Substance Abuse Treatment

Drug and alcohol addiction counseling programs are available in prisons and some jails. Participation may be voluntary or mandated for parole eligibility. Relapse prevention plans are created for continuing recovery post-release.

Transition Planning

Prisons provide pre-release programming on topics like finding employment, budgeting, and anger management. Social workers may help arrange housing, transportation, and community services prior to discharge.

Reentry Partnerships

Some prisons and jails partner with community groups to connect ex-offenders with services like mental health treatment, job placement, transitional housing, and mentoring. Faith-based groups often support reentry.

While prisons offer more rehabilitative programming, critics argue few inmates receive adequate support. Lack of funding and overcrowding reduce transitional resources. More emphasis on reentry could improve outcomes and reduce recidivism.

The Bottom Line

Florida’s county jails and state prisons both aim to punish criminal behavior, but are designed for different purposes. Jails are locally operated short-term facilities while prisons are long-term state facilities offering more programming and support services.

The typical experiences of inmates vary greatly between the chaotic, stressful environment of jail and the highly structured routine of prison life. Both can have damaging psychological impacts on inmates. Managing mentally ill, youthful, and death row populations presents additional challenges for our correctional institutions.

While neither offers an ideal living situation, prisons provide convicted felons better opportunities to reform their lives in positive ways. Expanding rehabilitative services for prisoners and partnerships with reentry organizations could further improve outcomes for both inmates and society.