Jail, or gaol (especially in Australia), remand prison, is a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the state. This includes either accused persons awaiting trial or for those who have been convicted of a crime and are serving a sentence of less than one year. Jails are generally small penitentiaries run by individual counties and cities,. Approximately half of the U.S. jail population consists of pretrial detainees who have not been convicted or senten… (More on Jail)