other words for a prison include a gaol (pronounced like "jail"), penitentiary or correctional facility. in the us, the words "prison" and "jail" mean separate things. a us "jail" is run by a local government and holds people who have not yet had their trial or who have been convicted for a minor crime. a us "prison" or "penitentiary" is run by the state or federal government and holds people who are serving a long sentence for a serious crime. outside of north america, "prison" and "jail" mean the same thing. there are lots of slang words for prisons.