What is the difference between Jail and Prison?

In prison, don't ever bend over if you drop something.

You can be a prisoner in your own home but you would have to work in a jail to be a jailer

I'm not real sure for Australia i dont think we seperate the two we call them prison or jail you hear of people going to prison for 6 months don't we?? but i have no real proof of that sorry!

and eric cant read, perhaps he should be incarcerated at a jail where they have appropriated funds for educational needs you repeated exactly what he said both the first answers we dead on

Bobby D is correct - jails are usually run by counties, prisons are run by the federal or state governments.

Prison inmates have been tried and convicted of crimes, while those in jail may be awaiting trial. A prison is under the jurisdiction of either federal or state, while the jail holds people accused under federal, state, county and/or city laws. A jail holds inmates from two days to a year. A prison usually longer.

Jail is county or city operated while prisons are usually state or federal owned and operated

I always figured they were the same thing - prison sounds worse though, lol. :-x

The first poster got it right. Sentences of less than one year are served in County Jail. Sentences of one year or more are served in a State or Federally run prison. (State Courts send folks to State Prison, Federal Courts send folks to Federal Prison)