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Jail, city jail or county jail, spelled gaol when referring to older English institutions, is a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government. This includes either accused persons awaiting trial or for those who have been convicted of a misdemeanor and are serving a sentence of less than one year.[1][2] Jail is also used as a term instead of prison, a place for convicted persons serving a sentence.[3] These jails are, in a sense, small prisons run by individual counties and cities[2], though some jails in larger communities may be as large and hold as many inmates as regular prisons. Some jails have different wings for certain types of offenders, and have work programs for inmates who demonstrate good behavior.