The concept of prisons as a way of dealing with people who don’t adhere to society’s norms of behavior has probably been around since of the origins of urban, agricultural civilizations. In general, a prison is a place of long-term confinement while a jail is a shorter-term place.
The word jail came into the English language about 1300 CE and is from the Middle English jaile. In British English, the preferred spelling is gaol.
The word prison is from the late Old English prisoun. Going back farther in time, prison seems to be based on the Proto-Indo-European root *ghend- meaning “to seize, take.”
Some other terms used for jail and prison include: clink, jug, nick, lockup, stir, slammer, poky, boob. In Navy terminology the word brig is used which comes from the designation of two-masted warships which were used as floating prisons.
Shown below are some jails and prisons.
Pioneer Village, Cashmere, Washington
Urquhart Castle, Scotland
The gate house of the Urquhart Castle includes a prison cell.
Dublinia, Dublin, Ireland
Fort Steele Heritage Village, British Columbia
Cottonwood City, Deer Lodge, Montana
Sherman County Historical Museum, Moro, Oregon
For many years, a U.S. Navy ship’s brig was used by Sherman County as a jail. This brig is now adjacent to the Cultivation and Conservation building at the Sherman County Historical Museum.
Old Montana Prison, Deer Lodge, Montana
Frontier Montana Museum, Deer Lodge, Montana
More museums
Museums 201/301/401 is a series in which similar exhibits from several museums are shown.
Museums 201: Telephone Exchanges (photo diary)
Museums 201: Antique farming equipment (photo diary)
Museums 301: Quilts (photo diary)
Museums 301: Radios (photo diary)
Museums 301: Bathrooms (photo diary)
Museums 301: Washing machines (photo diary)
Museums 401: Schools (photo diary)
Museums 401: Typewriters (photo diary)