Jail
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by WesleyS (talk | contribs) at 12:49, March 3, 2009. It may differ significantly from current revision.
A jail is a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government. A jail is distinguised from a prison in that a jails are customarily for the detention of those either awaiting trial or serving sentences of less than one year. However, in common use, jail is often employed as a synonym for prison.
The word originally derived from the latin word "cavea" (cage), and was originally spelt "gaole" and pronounced with a hard 'g'.