Prison Language and Terminology 101
Prison Language and Terminology 101 explains inmate slang, prison code words, hand signals, and everyday expressions used behind bars to communicate discreetly.
Many people who have never been incarcerated—or locked up in jail or prison—don't know about the language inmates use, which is not like the everyday language the general public uses. When inmates want to do something against prison policies and don't want the correctional officers to know what they are saying, they speak in code by giving certain items a new name. For instance, cellphones in prison are against policy, so inmates use coded language like whip, jack, clap, and other terms as the replacement word for phone or cellphone.
How Inmates Use Sign Language to Deliver Messages to Each other
When inmates are in groups or far away from each other and don't want staff or other convicts to know what they're saying, they use the alphabet of sign language and spell out each word. That may sound tedious to some, but a lot of prisoners have mastered moving their fingers and hands very quickly. Sometimes the sign language and hand signals used may differ from prison to prison or state to state. So, if you're curious about prison code, lingo, and replacement words—below we give you a list of words to build your knowledge and understanding, so the next time your brother, cousin, father, or son calls from prison and starts talking to you in prison code, you're hip to the new trends and language that have existed for decades and continue each year.
Common Prison Slang and Definitions
- Whip / Jack / Burner – A contraband cellphone hidden from correctional officers.
- Clap – To use a cellphone, make a call, or get hit with a sudden rule infraction or disciplinary write-up.
- Cellie – A cellmate or the person you share your living quarters with.
- Kite – A handwritten note, letter, or message passed secretly between cells or units through inmates.
- Jigger / Jiggering – Acting as a lookout to alert others when a correctional officer is approaching.
- Rat – An inmate who is a known snitch. A person who tells the correctional officers or prison admin the illegal things other inmates are doing.
- The Hole or Seg– Solitary confinement used for isolation and disciplinary punishment.
- Chow Out – Inmates and correctional officers yell this out so inmates know it's their units time to eat.
- Chow –food, meals, or meals in prison.
- Chow hall –main dining hall area where prisoners eat.
- C.O. – An acronym for correctional officer.
- Fresh Fish – A brand new inmate who has just arrived at the prison facility.
- All Day – A life sentence behind bars (often phrased as "doing all day").
- LWOP – life in prison without the possibility of parole.
- Road Dawg – A close, trusted friend, ally, or partner on the prison yard.
- Homie – usually used between inmates in gangs in prison and the outside world to determine frienships or common gang memberships.
- Books – An inmate’s official trust financial account used to purchase commissary goods.
- Screw / Boss/ Jakes – Slang terms used by inmates when referring to correctional officers.
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