any of various gold or silver or electrum coin units or coins of the ancient Greek states or cities. Origin of stater.
What are prisons for? They are used for taking away a person's freedom, as a punishment for breaking laws. They also keep dangerous people away from the public. In the UK prisons try to help prisoners get some skills that make it easier for them to fit back into society as law abiding citizens. That means people in prison can get education and training, it might include doing exams and having a job while they serve their sentence. Until about 200 years ago the main forms of punishment for crimes in England and Wales were execution or being sent to Australia.
The most notable difference between jails and prisons is that prison inmates have been tried and convicted of crimes, while those in jail may be awaiting trial, where they may yet be found innocent. A prison is under the jurisdiction of either federal or state governments, while a jail holds people accused under federal, state, county, and/or city laws. A jail holds inmates from two days up to one year. The following video explains the differences between a jail and prison: In the United States Jails are usually run by sheriffs and/or local governments and are designed to hold individuals awaiting dispostion of their case, waiting for transport to a state prison system following conviction, or serving time after a misdemeanor.