Jail vs. Asylum — What's the Difference?

A place of detention, especially for persons who are accused of committing a crime and have not been released on bail or for persons who are serving short sentences after conviction of a misdemeanor.

Protection and immunity from extradition granted by a government to a political refugee from another country.

Detention in a jail.

A place offering protection and safety; a shelter.

To detain in a jail.

Protection or shelter; refuge

A place or institution for the confinement of persons held against their will in lawful custody or detention, especially (in US usage) a place where people are held for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding.

A place, such as a church, formerly constituting an inviolable refuge for criminals or debtors.

(uncountable) Confinement in a jail.

An institution for the care of people, especially those with physical or mental disabilities, who require organized supervision or assistance.

(horse racing) The condition created by the requirement that a horse claimed in a claiming race not be run at another track for some period of time (usually 30 days).

A place of safety or refuge.

In dodgeball and related games, the area where players who have been struck by the ball are confined.

The protection, physical and legal, afforded by such a place (as, for example, for political refugees).

A kind of sandbox for running a guest operating system instance.

(dated) A place of protection or restraint for one or more classes of the disadvantaged, especially the mentally ill.

To imprison.

A sanctuary or place of refuge and protection, where criminals and debtors found shelter, and from which they could not be forcibly taken without sacrilege.

A kind of prison; a building for the confinement of persons held in lawful custody, especially for minor offenses or with reference to some future judicial proceeding.

Any place of retreat and security.

To imprison.

An institution for the protection or relief of some class of destitute, unfortunate, or afflicted persons; as, an asylum for the aged, for the blind, or for the insane; a lunatic asylum; an orphan asylum.

A correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence)

A shelter from danger or hardship

Lock up or confine, in or as in a jail;

A hospital for mentally incompetent or unbalanced person