U.S Imprisons 1 in 100 adults definition

                            US IMPRISONS ONE IN 100 ADULTS

First part: definitions

Prison (3) and jail (7) 

- A building in which people are legally held as a punishment for a crime they have committed or

while awaiting trial ( dans l’attente d’un procès)

- A place for the confinement of people accused or convicted of a crime.

IMPORTANT: in the US “prison “and “jail” are not the same things. 

The major difference is about the length of the sentence and the seriousness of a crime.

A jail houses people who've been accused or convicted of lesser / minor offenses and are given short

sentences (generally one year or less).

By contrast a prison is designed for long-term confinement.

The majority of convicted criminals serve their sentences in a prison.

Another important difference is about the authority who runs the facility.

Jails are generally run /managed / operated by a county sheriff's department, unlike prisons which are

run by state or federal governments.

People who break federal laws go to federal prisons, and people who break state laws go to state

prisons.

IMPORTANT : Federal laws apply to everyone in the US whereas state laws apply to people who

live in a particular state.

It is a perfect example of federalism in the US

Federalism: a system of government in which political power is divided between a national

government (un état fédéral) and 50 state governments (50 états fédérés)

States have their own legislative branch, executive branch, and judicial branch. The states are

empowered to pass, enforce, and interpret laws, as long as these laws  do not violate the US

Constitution ( the supreme law of the nation) and federal laws.

Federal laws deal with issues related to immigration, trade and commerce, discrimination and

civil rights violation, terrorism, counterintelligence crime, organized crime, cybercrime, bank robbery,

drug offenses, kidnapping, rape or murder that crosses state lines (more than one state concerned /

involved)

State laws deals with issues related to criminal matters that do not cross state limits, divorce and

family matters, real estate and inheritance, business contracts, personal injuries, medical malpractice

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Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (37)

The section of the US Department of Justice which investigates crimes against federal laws.

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