Prison Slang Through the Years: Common Terms Behind Bars

Are you looking to expand your vocabulary with some real-world prison lingo? Explore these categorized examples of prison slang to learn a broad selection of these types of terms.

Prison Slang for Sentence Length, Charges and Convictions

There are a lot of slang terms used to refer to an inmate's prison sentence, as well as to charges and convictions.

12/12 - serving your full sentence (no parole)
all day - a life sentence
all day and a night - a life sentence without the possibility of parole
back door parole - dying in prison
beef - what a person in prison was charged with
bow - a life sentence
Buck Rogers time - a release or parole date that is very far off in the future
bullet - a one-year prison sentence
bum beef - a wrongful conviction or false accusation
cat nap - a short prison sentence
c.c. - consecutive prison sentences
dime - ten-year prison sentence
doing the Dutch - committing suicide in prison
kickstand - an alternate term for a life sentence
l-wop - life without parole
nickel - five-year prison sentence
on paper - official length of one's prison sentence
skid bid - a very short prison sentence
teardrop - a ten-year prison sentence

Slang Terms for Inmates

Inmates can be referred to by a variety of different slang terms based on their individual circumstances.

agitator - a prisoner who seeks to manipulate other inmates to fight with each other
bam bam - a prisoner who is a psychiatric patient
bunkie - one's cellmate
cellie - an alternate name for one's cellmate
cell warrior - an inmate who acts tough from behind bars, but is meek in face-to-face encounters
diaper sniper - an inmate who has been accused or convicted of child molestation
dotted up - tattooed prisoner
dump truck - a sedentary and lazy inmate who is also overweight
fiend - person who is addicted to something (drug fiend, sex fiend, etc.)
fish - new inmates at a men's prison
fresh meat - new inmates arriving at the prison
frequent flyer - someone who is repeatedly in and out of prison
jit/jitterbug - big-mouthed gossipy inmate who causes trouble
June bug - a weak prisoner under the control of other prisoners
lame duck - a weaker prisoner on their own
new booties - people who are in prison for the very first time
o.g. - original gangsta (gangster); used for inmates who've been inside for a long time
slugs - inmates who barely leave their cells

Prison Facility Slang Terms

There are distinct slang terms for certain areas within a prison.

bean slot - place in a cell door that food trays are passed through
cage - an individual prison cell
chronic - unit within a prison that houses inmates with chronic discipline problems
ding wing - psychiatric ward of a prison
education - places where classes are taught and books can be checked out
gen pop - general population portion of the prison
hot water - a warning to behave because a guard is nearby
house - a prison cell
in the cut - an area out of view of security cameras and guards
iron pile - weight lifting equipment
lockdown - when inmates have to all be locked in their cells due to a threat or incident
mando - something that is mandatory or required
on the count - lining up for an inmate head count
on the door - prepare to leave your cell, such as to go to the mess hall for a meal
protective custody - when a prisoner is removed from gen pop for their protection from other inmates
quiet time - evening hours after lights are turned off and noise must be minimized
shakedown - when prison staff searches cells for contraband
store - the commissary where inmates can buy merchandise

Slang for Prison Activities and Behaviors

Various activities and behaviors that take place within a prison also have their own slang terminology.

Cadillac job - a desirable job among the various prison work duty assignments
calling the cops - creating a scene so as to attract the attention of the guards
catch a ride - to get high by using someone else's drugs
chalking - distracting a corrections officer so another inmate can get away with something
chatted out - someone who has gone crazy while in prison
chin check - punching another prisoner in the jaw to find out if the person will fight back when provoked
crossed out - unfair removal of a prisoner from a good area to a bad one
ctq - initialism abbreviation for confined to quarters
dinner and a show - term for being in the dining hall for dinner when other inmates start fighting
drop a slip - ratting out an inmate for something in writing by using the request dropbox
dry snitching - indirectly snitching by talking loudly about another prisoner so guards will overhear
fair one - a fair fight, fought without weapons
fishing line - cloth or string tied together used to pass contraband to inmates in other cells
fishing pole - rolled up newspaper with a paper clip on the end used to remove contraband from fishing line
getting buzzed - getting a prison tattoo
green light - permission to kill an individual or member of a rival gang
kite - contraband note passed to other inmates
rec - the time prisoners are allowed to leave their cells for exercise/recreation
yard - area for outdoor recreation
yard time - being allowed to spend time in the outdoor recreation area

Prison Slang for Items and Apparel

There are several slang terms for items that find their way into prisons, as well as for the apparel that inmates wear.

bats - cigarettes; smokes
binky - a homemade syringe
bobos - plain, unmarked sneakers issued to prisoners
brogans - workboots issued for prisoners to wear
bundle - a small package filled with contraband
clavo - dangerous contraband
keister - smuggling in contraband in one's anus
kung fu joes - poorly made prison shoes issued to inmates
peels - orange prison jumpsuits
shank - a stabbing weapon made by a prisoner
shiv - an alternate term for a shank

Slang for Prison Personnel

Prisoners often use code terms and slang to refer to prison employees, as well as standard police slang.

5-0 - code for a corrections officer
6-5 - code indicating that a corrections officer is drawing near
911 - caution that a corrections officer is drawing near
badge - a corrections officer working in a prison
bling bling - warning that corrections officers are approaching
boss - correctional officer working as a prison guard
cowboy - a corrections officer who is new to the job
duck - gullible corrections officer who can be bribed or manipulated to help get contraband in
kitty kitty - a female correctional officer
ratchette - a nurse who works in a prison
robocop - stickler guard who records even the most minor infractions

Now that you are familiar with many common prison slang words, take a look at some gangster slang from the 1920s. This will provide you with a unique historical perspective on crime-related slang. From there, explore a selection of slang words for jail. After that, if you're hungry for even more information, review these examples of slang words from the past and today.