Prisoners normally come from different culture. That’s why they have different ways to communicate. When spending their life in prisons, they also create new words that are known only within the prisons. As someone who is into languages or into prison-related things or both, you may want to learn about the slang used in prisons. Luckily, you are here where you will be able to find the slang words used in prisons.
About Prison Slang
Prison slang, which is also called prison jargon or argot, refers to a unique language that is developed within correctional facilities over the years. This kind of thing is used by the inmates to communicate with one another. Aside from that, it is also a way to express their experiences during the incarceration. The prisoners create prison slang to describe various aspects of life in prison. These words usually reflect the challenges, survival tactics, and social hierarchies of the prison system.
Prison Slang Dictionary
Below is the table of the slang words that are popular around the prisoners. There is no need for you to download the dictionary as the meaning of these words can also be found below:
Slang Word | Meaning |
| AB | It is the abbreviation of Aryan Brotherhood. It refers to the oldest neo-Nazi prison gang and organized criminal group. |
| Agitator | An inmate who initiates fights just to cause trouble |
| All day | A life sentence |
| All day and a night | A life sentence without parole |
| Bats | Tobacco |
| Back door parole | To die while in prison |
| BB filler | An inmate who is very sick or about to die; a body bag (BB) filler |
| Bean slot | The slot in a jail cell door where food is slipped through |
| Bid | Prison sentence |
| Binky | A homemade syringe that is usually made out of an empty pen, eyedropper, and guitar string |
| Blues | A prison outfit with blue color |
| Bo-bos | The shoes issued by prison |
| Books | The money account of an inmate |
| Boss | Prison officers or jail guards |
| Brake fluid | An umbrella term for psychiatric medications |
| Brogans | Work boots issued by prison that should be used by inmates when working |
| Brownies | People who are in charge in kitchen. Brown refers to the color of the outfits they usually wear. |
| Bullet | A prison sentence that lasts for a year |
| Bundle | A small bundle of smuggle stuff such as drugs, cigarettes, or other stuff |
| Bunkie | A cellmate, especially in prisons with dorms |
| Burned | All possible appeals are exhausted |
| Cadillac | A luxurious coffee in prison consisting of coffee, cream, and sugar |
| Cadillac job | An easy work assignment |
| Cage | A prison cell |
| C-file | Records related to inmates kept by prison administration |
| Catch a ride | To get high off the drugs belonging to someone else |
| Catching the chain | A prisoner who is about to be released |
| Cell slug | A prisoner who rarely leaves their cell |
| Check in | When a prisoner wants a PC or Protective Custody |
| Cheeto | An openly gay or transsexual prisoner |
| Chinano | A prisoner who was born in American but was originally from Hispanic |
| Chicken | Money |
| Chit-chat | A kind of corporal punishment initiated by inmates |
| Cho-mo | Child molester |
| Choke sandwich | A plan peanut butter sandwich |
| Chow | Meal |
| Chrono | Documentation found in official file consisting of information with positive or negative implications |
| C.O. or D.O. | Correctional Officer or Detention Officer |
| Clavo | Dangerous contraband |
| Cowboy | A staff who is new on the job |
| Dance on the blacktop | To get stabbed by another prisoner |
| Dap | Fistbump |
| Diaper sniper | A prisoner who is charged with performing sexual acts on a child |
| Diesel therapy | Getting transferred to a faraway prison as a punishment |
| Dime | A 10 year prison sentence |
| Doing the Dutch | Taking away someone’s own life in prison |
| Dotted up | Someone whose body is full of tattoos |
| Drop a slip | Snitching on another prisoner by secretly passing a note to a staff |
| Drop the soap | To accidentally put oneself in a vulnerable position |
| Dry snitching | Telling someone loudly and talking about what they have done when the staff is around |
| Duck | A corrupt prison officer who can be bribed easily |
| Dump truck | A lazy prisoner |
| Erasers | Processed chicken |
| Epro | Earliest possible date of release |
| Ear hustle | To overhear someone else’s conversation |
| Fish | A new prisoner |
| Fiend | Someone who is addicted to alcohol, drugs, or sex |
| Flat time | A definite prison sentence |
| Fresh meat | A number of new prisoners |
| Free staff | Staff who are not prisoners |
| Frequent flier | Someone who has been in and out of prison |
| Foxy | A DIY energy drink |
| Funky | Someone with bad smells because they have bad hygiene habits |
| Gen pop | General population |
| Getting buzzed | The act of getting a tattoo in prison |
| Getting hit | To be punished with a longer sentence by the parole board |
| Ghetto penthouse | The top tier of a cell block |
| Grapes | Rumor or gossip |
| Green | Money |
| Green light | To have a permit to kill someone from a rival gang |
| Grey shirt | Correctional office |
| Gump | A homosexual inmate |
| Going psych | Someone with signs of a mental disorder |
| Hole or the hole | Solitary confinement |
| Heatwave | Having a lot of unwanted attention because someone from your group or gang did something |
| Hold your mud | To not snitch on a person even though being under threat |
| Hooch | An alcoholic drink fermented in a plastic bag or airtight container made from sugar, fruits, and yeast |
| Hot one | A murder charge |
| House | A prison cell |
| Iced | The act of taking someone else’s life in prison |
| Institutional 9 | An attractive staff |
| In the car | Agreeing to join a plan |
| In the cut | Hiding in a place without security cameras and not seen by the guards |
| Items | A snack or any item from the commissary that can be traded in prison |
| Jackbook | Something to read with pictures of women in it |
| Jack mack | Canned fish from the prison commissary that can be used as prison currency |
| Jail | To behave well in prison to avoid getting in trouble |
| Jit or jitterbug | A prison who likes to gossip and cause trouble |
| June bug | A weak inmate who is controlled or used as a slave by other inmates |
| Kickstand | Life sentence |
| Kin or kinfolk | African American inmate |
| Kite | A letter or note passed secretly to other inmates |
| Kitty Kitty | Female correctional officer |
| Kung fu joes | Poor quality shoes issued by prisons |
| Lameduck | An inmate with no power who is standing alone in a prison courtyard |
| LOC | A prison punishment for Loss of Commissary |
| LOM | A prison punishment for Loss of Personal Email |
| LOR | A prison punishment for Loss of Recreation |
| L-WOP | Life Without Parole |
| Malinger | Walking at a slow pace |
| Mando | Mandatory |
| Meat wagon | An ambulance with sick or dead prisoners |
| Mofonggo | A meal in prison consisting of instant rice, ramen, chips, mackerel, and sausages |
| Monster | AIDS or HIV |
| Monkey mouth | An uninteresting inmate with a big mouth |
| Nettled up | A prisoner with a mental breakdown |
| New Booties | First time prisoners |
| New Jacks | New correctional officers |
| Nickel | A five year prison sentence |
| On paper | Parole or probation |
| O.G. | Original gangster or older inmate |
| P.C. | Protective Custody |
| Peckerwood, Wood, or Woodpecker | A white inmate |
| Permanent pocket | Anus |
| Quiet time | Time after the evening count, before the cells are locked for the night |
| Ratchette | A nurse |
| Rabbit | An inmate who has tried to escape before who is planning to escape |
| Seg | Segregation; solitary confinement |
| Slug | A prisoner who rarely leaves prison cell |
| Store | Commissary |
| Ticket | A disciplinary report |
| Toockie or tuchie | A popular synthetic marijuana |
| UA | Urinalysis |
| Viking | A lazy inmate |
| Vampire | Prisoners that make the other side bleed during a fight |
| Wolf ticket | False promises |
| Wham whams | Sweet treats (cookies, candies, so on) |
| Yard | An area with fence for outdoor recreation |
| Zoom zooms or zoo zoos | Sweet treats (candies, cookies, so on) |
Bottom Line
In conclusion, there are a dozen of slang words that are normally used within the correctional facility. These words are usually known by the prisoners and the staff. While some of these words are the same to the words used by normal people, they have different meanings. It is important to understand the meaning of every slang word to avoid misunderstanding.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
