Prison Slang Dictionary From A to Z

J

• Jackbook – magazines or any reading material that has pictures of women (could be pornographic or not)
• Jacket – a rap sheet; an inmate’s information file including any previous crimes; an inmate’s reputation in prison
• Jack Mack – canned fish from the prison commissary that can be used as prison currency and is often traded among inmates
• Jackrabbit Parole – the act of escaping from prison
• Jail – to behave appropriately while in prison so as to avoid getting in trouble
• Jailhouse Lawyer – an inmate who likes to give unqualified and often misleading legal advice; someone who assures other inmates of a positive legal outcome even if it isn’t likely
• J-Cat – an inmate exhibiting weird behavior stemming from drug addiction or mental health issues
• Jit/Jitterbug – a loud, big-mouthed inmate who likes to gossip and cause trouble
• Juice Card – an inmate’s influence or relationship with a prison guard or another 
• June bug – a weak-willed prisoner controlled by or considered as a slave by other prisoners

K

• Keister – to smuggle contraband by hiding it inside one’s anus
• Keys – an inmate serving the longest sentence in a pod and is responsible for the pod’s gang; someone who “holds the keys”
• Kickstand – Life sentence (from the “L” shape of a bike’s kickstand)
• Kin/Kinfolk – an inmate identified as African American
• Kite – a contraband letter or note passed in secret to other inmates
• Kitty Kitty – often used by males inmates to refer to a female correctional officer
• Kung Fu Joes – prison shoes that are of poor quality

L

• Lameduck – a weak inmate standing alone in a prison courtyard
• La Raza – a Mexican inmate with no gang affiliation in a facility with heightened gang activity
• LOC – a form of punishment that stands for “Loss of Commissary”
• Lockdown – the confining of prisoners to their cells when there are riots, escape attempts, or any disturbances
• LOM – a type of prison punishment that stands for “Loss of Personal Mail”
• Longjohn – a free person having relations with an inmate’s wife
• LOR – A type of prison punishment that stands for “Loss of Recreation”
• L-WOP – stands for “Life Without Parole”

M

• Malinger – to walk at a slow pace
• Mando – short for “mandatory”
• Meat Wagon – an ambulance that carries sick or dead inmates out of prison
• Mofonggo – a prison meal made up of instant rice, ramen, chips, mackerel, and pre-wrapped sausages sprinkled with seasoning
• Molly Whopped – to get beaten up in a fight; could also mean beating someone up during a fight
• Monkey mouth – a talkative but uninteresting inmate
• Monster – refers to AIDS or HIV

N

• Netted Up – an inmate who’s had a mental breakdown
• New Booties – first time inmates
• New Jacks – correctional officers who are new to the field
• Nickel – a five-year prison sentence
• Ninja Turtles – prison guards wearing their riot gears
• No smoke – to follow a staff’s orders without objection or resistance

O

• O.G. – stands for “original gangster”; can also mean older inmate
• On Paper – can mean either parole or probation
• On the Bumper – trying to get in on a deal or a plan
• On the Count – a call for prisoners to line up for a head count
• On the Door – preparing to leave a prison cell (for meals, recreation activities, etc.)
• On the River – time spent in Louisiana State Penitentiary which is surrounded by the Mississippi River on three sides, hence the term

P

• P.C. – stands for “Protective Custody”
• Peckerwood/Wood/Woodpecker – a white inmate
• Peels – refers to the orange jumpsuit uniforms inmates wear in some facilities
• Permanent Pocket – another term for anus
• Prison Wolf – an inmate who identifies as straight but engages in sexual activities with other male inmates
• Pruno – homemade alcohol made from fermenting fruit, bread, and anything with sugar
• Pumpkins – another term for new inmates; gang members who were beaten so badly that their heads swelled up to resemble a pumpkin
• Punk – a weaker inmate forced to become a sex slave by another inmate in exchange for protection from other inmates

Q

• Quiet time – the period after the evening count but before the cells are locked for the night

R

• Rabbit – someone who has tried to escape before or is planning to
• Rat – an inmate who informs prison officials about other inmates’ illegal activities; also called a “snitch”
• Ratchette – a term inmates use to refer to a nurse
• Rank – an inmate’s status based on the length of their prison sentence or previous prison stints
• Rec – short for recreation, the time of the day when inmates leave their cells to exercise or play games
• Red – someone with red hair (can be an inmate or prison staff)
• Ride Leg – to suck up to a prison staff to get preferential treatment or favors
• Ride with – to do something for a fellow convict including sexual favors in exchange for protection, contraband, or commissary items
• Road Kill – cigarette butts that are brought back to the prison facility by inmates working on location. The collected tobacco is then rerolled with toilet paper.
• Robocop – a prison guard who doesn’t let any infraction go unpunished, even minor ones

S

• Sancho – a term similar to “Longjohn”
• Shakedown – the time prison staff inspect cells for contraband
• Seg – short for “segregation”; solitary confinement
• Shank/Shiv – an improvised knife often used to stab another inmate
• Shot out – an inmate showing symptoms of drug withdrawal
• Skid-bid – a very short prison sentence (from the act of quickly turning around where the doer leaves skid marks)
• Sleep on Steel – to sleep without a mattress or pillows because they’re confiscated, often as a punishment
• Slop – a bland-tasting tomato-based prison meal made mostly of vegetables
• Slug – an inmate who rarely ventures out of their prison cell
• Snuffed – to murder someone; someone who has been murdered
• Stainless Steel Ride – death penalty by lethal injection
• Store – another term for commissary
• Stress Box – refers to the prison pay phone

T

• Take flight – To start a fight with another inmate; to attack another inmate using just the fists
• Three knee deep – to stab someone but not deep enough to kill them (often done as a warning)
• Ticket – a disciplinary report
• Ticket master – a prison guard who is fond of or known for writing tickets
• Time to feed the warden – to go to the bathroom
• Torpedo – an inmate chosen by a prison gang leader to beat another inmate, often as punishment for breaking gang rules 
• Toochie/Tuchie – a type of synthetic marijuana popular in prison because it can’t be detected in urine
• Trips – hallucinogens; often referring to the peyote buttons typically used by Native American inmates
• Turtle suit – a padded dark-colored suit similar to a straight jacket but with hexagonal patterns and is often used to prevent suicide

U

• UA – Urinalysis (often conducted to test for drug use in inmates)

V

• Vampire – Inmates who make their opponents bleed during a fight
• VIC – short for “victim”, often used to refer to an inmate who is victimized by another inmate
• Viking – an inmate who’s so lazy, they can’t even be bothered to clean their living space
• Violated – to be sent back to prison for violating parole or probation
• Violators – repeat offenders who are regulars in the prison system

W

• Wham Whams – sweet treats; cookies and candies
• Wolf Tickets – false promises
• Wall (The) – a designated area where inmates fight or are beaten by other inmates, usually away from security cameras and prison guards

X

• X’d Out – a prisoner who’s marked for “elimination” by a rival gang; someone whose days on the yard are numbered

Y

• Yard – a fenced area for outdoor recreation

Z

• Zoom zooms/zoo zoos – sweet treats like candies and cookies

Numbers

• 12/12 – serving the full prison sentence (no parole)
• 13 ½ – 1 judge, 12 jurors, ½ chance
• 5150 – someone who’s not mentally competent enough to stand trial

(Related: The Different Types of Prisons Explained)