NewsBlues mrsbgrammar Page 72
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Mrs. Bluezette's Grammar Guide
jail/prison/penitentiary, convicts/prisoners/inmates
Most viewers are confused by incarceration.
Mrs. B wants you to be sure your confusion is not adding to theirs.
JAIL is a local lockup where newly arrested people are held pending
trial or where short-term prisoners are housed.
A PRISON is a state or federal penal institution where convicted
prisoners are incarcerated.
A PENITENTIARY is the same as a PRISON and refers to a major
Big House.
One would NOT refer to the city "prison" or the state "jail."
Now let's look at the difference among CONVICT, PRISONER, and
INMATE.
Everyone behind bars in a penitentiary is a CONVICT.
That means they've all been convicted.
But NOT everyone in jail is a CONVICT.
Many are being held for trial or other action and have NOT been
convicted of anything.
Mrs. B recommends you refer to those in jail as PRISONERS.
And, finally, INMATES are those behind bars, whether in JAIL or
PRISON.
