Probably the one in Florence, AZ.
It’s going to depend on the jail/prison in question , and it’s not going to be the same answer for every situation. In my experience, some inmates being held at the local jail (Rikers Island) want to transferred to state prison quickly because it’s less violent ,there are more programs, the population is more stable , they’re treated better etc while others want to stay at local because it’s easier for family and friends to visit there. I don’t think even those who prefer staying local would do so if it meant an extra six months.
Just my 2 cents: I’d prioritize the competing considerations like this:
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Top priority: Find out if in Sheriff Joe’s county. If so, choose whatever lock-up he doesn’t run.
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Tie for Second priority: Choose whichever lock-up he will get out of sooner, or choose prison on the grounds that it’s [del]nicer[/del] less badder than jail, as described by several posts above.
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Consider what kind of prison is in question: A high-security prison (bad), a medium-security prison (probably bad), or a lower-security prison (probably the [del]best[/del] least bad case, if that’s where he might go).
i have been to jail (never been to prison) a few times in the 90’s. the most time I ever had to do was about 90 days. tho jail isn’t the best place to be, I made the most of it and even managed to have a little bit of fun. (chess, books, exercise)
I have spoken to many people who have been to prison and 99% of them said that everyone gets raped. everyone. that scared the heck outta me. I guess it out me on the straight and narrow cuz I haven’t seen the inside of a jail for a long time.
but I do also remember that seasoned convicts, who were in jail waiting to be transferred into the prison system, couldn’t wait to be back into prison. when I asked why, I mostly got glib answers like, its just better, more stuff to do. I personally think it was so they could be back with their gangs (just my opinion)
I personally would rather do the extra time then go to prison, but I’m not the biggest guy nor a great fighter.
I’ve said this before but the threat of being raped in prison is completely over-exaggerated. Rape is not routine. It’s not even common. There are probably more rapes committed out in the streets than there are in prison.
Prisons are designed around watching the people living in them and stopping them from committing crimes. Prisoners have a hard time getting away with crimes in which everyone involved is a willing participant - trying to get away with a crime against an unwilling victim is almost impossible.
And even if a prisoner manages to not get caught by the guards, he’s still got too worry about his victim. Unlike out on the street, a rapist can’t get away from his victim. The people he raped know where he lives. How many rapes do you think a rapist can commit before he turns up dead?
Granted I’m talking about forcible rape here. There are prisoners having sex with each other and a lot of that is coercive. But that’s not what people are thinking about when they talk about prison rape.
How on Earth can they add an extra year to his sentence? Isn’t that patently unconstitutional? 
Another thing to consider, that may or may not apply to his situation…in my state, people in prison may become eligible for conjugal visits (if married), whereas people in jail are not eligible for such.
Also, think about the locations–the jail may be easier for potential visitors, prisons tend to be further away.
Bottom line, if it was me, I’d choose prison and freedom in November over jail and longer incarceration.
It might be some sort of quirk in crediting time or something. For example, in my state when a person violates parole and is sent back to prison for the remainder of the sentence if s/he owes 12 months s/he will get 1/3 off for good behavior and is released after 8 months (the remaining four are served on supervision). If 11 months and 29 days are owed,there is no early release.
That’s of course because it contains Phoenix. In size it isn’t any bigger than the other counties. Still important to find out where.
When did you speak to these people? In what state? I have a close friend who was sent to prison about 6 months ago, here in Minnesota. He says rapes are pretty much non-existent, due to the programs MN has instated (and I’m sure other states have these too) that make prison rape a much more serious offense than it used to be. I also think that prison rape, while obviously serious and something to be addressed immediately, is something that is portrayed in the media as being much more common than it actually is in reality. I just don’t think it’s all that common in a lot of the more progressive states (or at least not as common as a lot of people think.)
I would definitely pick prison over jail. As others have said, more opportunities for recreation, time out of your cell, facilities tend to be a bit nicer, you can take classes, etc etc. Versus jail which is generally a lot more sitting around with a bunch of other people who may or may not even be sentenced yet (I feel like that element would certainly add to the overall stress of the environment-- not knowing what’s going on with your case or how long you will even be there.)
I didn’t see this post before I responded to the same quote. If I had, I probably wouldn’t have bothered responding, because Nemo**** really covered all the points I was trying to say! Thanks 
this was in the mid 90’s, in Colorado. perhaps things have changed since then?
Once he makes his choice they’re gonna make him choose lady or tiger.
All:
The jails that he will choose from at the 4th Street jail and the Esperanza Jail (if I am remembering that name correctly).
The Florence prison is a serious locale with serious gang issues.
If he will be classified a minimum risk, he probably won’t go to Florence. If it was a violent crime, he will. The Florence prison isn’t in Maricopa county; it is Pinal County. Avoiding Florence in favor of jail is MUCH safer…not from rape; the primary crimes in prison are assaults and extortion.
What exactly is the difference between rape and “coercive” sex? Isn’t coercive sex the definition of rape?
Since he’s given the choice in the first place, I’m going to assume that the prison will be minimum security. Go for the prison. They have things to do, and in a minimum security, the person will actually have somewhat free access to them. Jails don’t have TV, libraries, yards with basketball courts, classes to take, and so forth. Your freedom is restricted, in that you can’t just up and leave the grounds, but you won’t be bored out of your skull.
I imagine there is some upside to jail, like proximity to people who want to visit.
Learn what you can about the prison, insofar as what activities are available, how much of the daily schedule is mandatory (the jail probably does not have wake up and bedtime, while the prison does), and what visiting is like in each place.
Oh, well, Colorado in the 90’s - why didn’t you say so?
[sub]I have no idea what I’m talking about, BTW[/sub]
But if you define coercive sex as rape*, then yes, there’s a lot of rape in prisons. Otherwise I agree.
- which is a pretty common definition.
Back to the Op. *Choose the shorter sentence. *
And then switch. Or does the Monty Hall problem only work when a trip to Bermuda is behind one of the doors?
Everyone that I know who has been to both said that prison is much preferable.