jails
n. countablen. places where people are kept as punishment for a crime or while they wait for a trial.
n. places of confinement for persons held in lawful custody, specifically those awaiting trial or convicted of minor crimes.
The city built two new jails to replace the old ones.
Local jails often face overcrowding issues when court dates are delayed for several months.
While prisons are designed for long-term incarceration, jails typically serve as short-term holding facilities for those recently arrested or serving shorter sentences for local offenses.
Often used in the plural to refer to the system of local confinement facilities.
He was sent to the jails.He was sent to jail.When referring to the state of being imprisoned rather than the physical buildings, the singular 'jail' is used without an article.