In the United States, we have two different kinds of prisons: state prisons and federal prisons. The Federal Bureau of Prisons is commonly referred to as the BOP, which is a subdivision of the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to the Washington Post, we have 1,800 state and federal correctional facilities, and at any given time, we have hundreds of thousands of individuals locked up in the nation's 3,500 local and county jails.

Recently, there has been a hot debate about the differences between state and federal prisons. Federal prisons have a reputation for being more comfortable, while state prisons are known for being more dangerous. Why such differences?

Federal Prisons

Federal prisons are designed to house those who violate federal laws. The federal prisons operate at five different security levels including minimum, low, medium, high, complex, and administrative. Most of the inmates in federal prisons are locked up for drug trafficking, bank robbery and white collar crimes.

State Prisons

Most criminals who are sent to state prisons were convicted of violating state laws. State prisons commonly house the rapists, burglars, murderers, and people who've committed weapons offenses.

Though it is possible to see similar kinds of criminals in state and federal prisons, federal prisons are generally used for white collar criminals and political offenders as opposed to violent offenders.

State prisons on the other hand, are considered dangerous by most people, and state prisons have lower security than federal prisons, which is somewhat ironic.

What's the difference between state and federal prison?

• There are more state prisons than federal prisons.
• State prisons have lower security than federal prisons.
• Hard core criminals are sent to state prisons.
• Federal prisons are used more for white collar criminals and political offenders.
• State prisons are unsafe because they have high numbers of violent criminals.

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