Glossary
Jail: most often run by sheriffs and/or local governments and are designed
to hold individuals awaiting trial or a serving short sentences. Jails operate work release programs, boot camps, and other specialized services. They try to address educational needs, substance abuse needs, and vocational
needs while managing inmate behavior.
Prison: Prisons are operated by state governments and the Federal Bureau of Prisons
(BOP) and are designed to hold individuals convicted of crimes. State prison systems operate halfway houses, work release centers and community restitution centers - all considered medium or minimum custody. Inmates assigned
to such facilities are usually reaching the end of their sentences.
Incarceration: The act of being put into prison or a similar enclosure. Imprisonment.
Juvenile detention: A secure residential faciility for young people awaiting court hearings and/or placement in long term care facilities and programs.
First degree murder: any murder that is willful and premeditated; felony murder is typically first degree.
Second degree murder: any murder that is not premeditated or planned in advance.
Voluntary manslaughter: sometimes called "heat of passion" murder, is any intentional killing that involved no prior intent to kill and was committed under circumstances that would cause any reasonable person to become mentally disturbed.
Involuntary manslaughter: stems from a lack of intention to cause death but involving an intentional or negligent act, leading to death. (ex: drunk driving)
Probation: the release of an offender from detention, subject to a period of good behavior under supervision.
Bail: security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person, as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
Jail: most often run by sheriffs and/or local governments and are designed
to hold individuals awaiting trial or a serving short sentences. Jails operate work release programs, boot camps, and other specialized services. They try to address educational needs, substance abuse needs, and vocational
needs while managing inmate behavior.
Prison: Prisons are operated by state governments and the Federal Bureau of Prisons
(BOP) and are designed to hold individuals convicted of crimes. State prison systems operate halfway houses, work release centers and community restitution centers - all considered medium or minimum custody. Inmates assigned
to such facilities are usually reaching the end of their sentences.
Incarceration: The act of being put into prison or a similar enclosure. Imprisonment.
Juvenile detention: A secure residential faciility for young people awaiting court hearings and/or placement in long term care facilities and programs.
First degree murder: any murder that is willful and premeditated; felony murder is typically first degree.
Second degree murder: any murder that is not premeditated or planned in advance.
Voluntary manslaughter: sometimes called "heat of passion" murder, is any intentional killing that involved no prior intent to kill and was committed under circumstances that would cause any reasonable person to become mentally disturbed.
Involuntary manslaughter: stems from a lack of intention to cause death but involving an intentional or negligent act, leading to death. (ex: drunk driving)
Probation: the release of an offender from detention, subject to a period of good behavior under supervision.
Bail: security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person, as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.