The Correctional Officers Guide to
Prison Slang
PART
TWO
G
GAME
- A. (back in the); Life in Texas prisons prior to the Ruiz settlement in 1981,
was called, "The game," although most inmates who have been
incarcerated for two or more years believe that they were in the game when they
arrived, actually have no knowledge of what the term really stands for.
B. (has a);
Meaning that a person is able to fight well, or to talk his way out of almost
anything.
GIRL - Any inmate that acts like a female.
GO DOWN - (hard); When an inmate gives up in a fight he is said to
have gone down, when an inmate continues to fight even though it is evident that
he cannot win that inmate "Goes down hard".
GOON SQUAD - A team of five officers in riot gear prepared to
conduct a forced removal of an inmate from a cell.
GO WAY BACK - When an inmate has known another for a long period
of time, they say "We go way back" also "We go back to the
game."
GOT DOWN - When one person has said or done something to another
to make the other person look foolish, whether the statement is true or not, the
person making the statement is said to have got down.
GOT IT - (stuff); If an inmate "has it" he is a
homosexual, meaning that he has "Got that stuff." stuff being a female
organ.
GOT IT GOIN' ON - If a person has "Got it goin' on" that
person gets things his way, or has a prestigious position.
GROUND - (on the); When an inmate escapes he is on the ground.
GUNS - fists or forearms.
GUNNED DOWN - (See "DEAD").
GUTS - (get in); Rectum; Inmates often use the phrase "Get in
them guts." to mean performing anal sex.
H
HIGH
RIDER - A correctional officer (normally on horseback) that is armed
with a pistol or rifle, and watching inmates working outside of the security
perimeter.
HIGH SIDE - When an inmate intentionally shows other inmates
that he can get away with something that they can't or that he has something
that they don't have.
HO/WHO'E - Slang for homosexual, or whore, both are called hoes
and the term is interchangeable.
HOE SQUAD - A squad of inmates that work in the fields using hoes
(Garden type, See AGGIE) as their primary tool.
HOG - A. (to); To hog is to forcibly take property from somebody
without that persons consent. Normally there is not a fight
involved. The person allows the other to take the property out of fear.
B. (bought/sold); (See
BOUGHT, and SOLD); This is a term used to mean an untrue
statement.
HOLDIN' - Any person who is a good fighter, or has the ability to
cause others to believe that they can fight, is said to be holdin'.
HOME - Most inmates refer to their living quarters, i.e. cell,
dorm, cubicle, etc., as home.
HOMEY/HOME BOY - Any person who lived, or was raised in the same
home town as another person, is referred to as their home boy.
HOUSE - (See HOME).
H-TOWN - Houston, Texas.
HYGIENES - Items such as toothpaste, deodorant, soap, etc. are
collectively referred to by inmates as "My hygienes".
HYPE - A lie. Propaganda.
I
IN
CHECK - When a person does anything that another person orders them to
do, regardless of personal feelings toward the activity that person is said to
be in check.
J
JACK
BOOK - Magazines, or books depicting naked women, i.e. Playboy,
Penthouse, etc.
JALE - Hispanic word meaning "thing" used to mean any
occurrence, i.e. fight, riot, stabbing, etc.
JIGGERS - (holdin'); When a person is watching an area to warn
others of someone coming, or if an inmate is watching items very closely for an
officer to prevent other inmates from getting more than their entitled portion,
this is referred to as "Holdin' jiggers."
JOHNNIE - A sack lunch, (Also called a sack).
JURA - A Hispanic word for officer, (correctional officers).
K
KID
- (punk or turnout); When an inmate is using another (weaker) inmate to do the
cleaning in his cell, buying items from the prison store, or sexual acts, in
exchange for the protection of the weaker inmate from the others, the weaker
inmate is called his kid.
KILL - To masturbate (derived from phrase, "killing babies").
KILL SHIELD - A garment worn by female officers, usually a long vest or
jacket.
KILLER - An inmate who is constantly masturbating in public.
KITE - A letter sent from one inmate to another by using a line or
fishing pole; (See FISHING POLE).
L
LA
LIBRE - Hispanic term meaning the same as free world; (See FREE
WORLD).
LAWS - Correctional officers.
LAY-IN - When an inmate has an appointment to see somebody, i.e.
correctional counselor, doctor, etc. and for this reason is excused from work
for that day, or period of time. Also when a doctor has given an inmate a
pass to stay out of work for a period of time.
LAY IT DOWN - When an inmate quits working without authorization, and
refuses to go back to work.
LINE - (work, school); Any time inmates are sent out of their housing
areas in large groups this is a line due to the fact that there is a long line
of inmates in the hallway at the time.
LOCK UP - Administrative segregation, where an inmate is placed as an
administrative decision for several reasons, such as protective custody, or
repeated acts of a violent nature that indicate that the inmates presents in
general population is a threat to the safe and secure operation of the facility.
LOCK DOWN - When a large group of inmates are held in their cells for a
period of time following a major disturbance, the inmates are locked in their
cells for the entire day, receiving sack lunches (Johnnies) as meals, and
showering approximately three times a week.
LOOK OUT - Yelled out in a group of people to get all of them to look
when you are only trying to get the attention of one of them whose name is
unknown.
M
MEDS
- An inmates medication.
M.I.A. - (Missing In Action); A person who seems to be lost, (mentally)
as evidenced by repeatedly doing things that would seem, to a reasonable person,
as stupid.
MILASA - A Hispanic term for correctional officer, (meaning syrup), and
reportedly because correctional officers are slow.
MONEY - A. (commissary); Inmates often refer to their store bought goods
as their money, due to the fact that real money is not allowed in prisons, store
bought goods are traded among inmates as money.
B. (sit on); Inmates sometimes refer to a females or a homosexuals buttocks as
their money.
N
NASTY
- An inmate who does not shower regularly, or who refuses to clean up his living
quarters to the point that it becomes offensive to other inmates is called
nasty.
NINJA TURTLES - A team of officers dressed in riot gear in preparation
to quell a riot, or to conduct a forced removal of an inmate. The term is
derived from the fact that the officers resemble the Teen Aged Mutant Ninja
Turtles in this gear.
O
ON
THE COOL - When something is done quietly so that others do not become
aware of what is going on it is being done on the cool. |
