The Correctional Officers Guide to Prison
Slang
PART
THREE
P
PACKIN'
- A. A fight game, (Same as Holdin').
B. (stuff); If an inmate is packin' stuff, this is a homosexual.
PAPAS - A Hispanic word meaning potatoes, used to mean buttocks.
PEOPLE - (my); Inmates refer to their families, or any body that comes
to visit them as their people.
PICKET - A guard tower either inside or outside of the compound, some
positions inside the building which are separated from the direct contact with
the inmates by bars are called pickets.
PICO - A Hispanic word used for any stabbing weapon.
PIDDLIN' - A leisure activity performed by eligible inmates in which
they produce a craft item, i.e. leather goods, art etc. for selling to the
general public.
PISTOLS - Leather work gloves with all of the fingers cut off of them.
PITCHIN'/CATCHIN' - When two homosexuals take turns playing the male and
female roles in sexual activities.
PLATON - A Hispanic term meaning plate, used to mean any meal.
PLAY - (The ho game); Playing, or playing the ho game, is when an inmate
is constantly making sexual advances toward another, or is by some means
insinuating that the other inmate is a homosexual.
PLAYA - A Hispanic word meaning "Beach", used to mean showers.
POKE - To stab someone.
POLICE - (See LAWS).
POPULATION - (also pop); The location where the majority of inmates are
housed in which they have the freedom to move about in their dorm or wing, and
mingle with the rest of the inmates in general population. (As opposed to
lock up, or seg).
PUNK - An inmate who is proud to be, and does not attempt to
conceal his homosexuality.
Q
QUACK
- A psychiatrist.
QUE HONDA - (what's up); A Hispanic term meaning "What's up",
or "What's happening"; a greeting.
Q'VO/Q'VOLE - The same as Que honda, only normally yelled with great
enthusiasm.
R
RABBIT
- An inmate who is likely to, or has just escaped.
RACK - A. (bunk); An inmates bunk is sometimes called a rack.
B. (time);
The time that all of the televisions, radios etc. are turned off, and inmates
are instructed to go to their cells or cubicles is rack time.
RAMBO - A person that is constantly trying to prove that he can fight by
picking fights, or getting into pushing contests with others, primarily
referring to officers who try to be macho.
RIDE - A. (conversation); When two or more people are talking this is
called their ride, if someone attempts to join into the conversation without the
approval of the others they say "Get out of my ride".
B. (a gang); A
disruptive gang.
C. (to ride with);
When an inmate chooses to be the "kid" (See KID) of one
inmate over another he is said to be riding with him.
ROACH - An inmate that does not shower, or never cleans up after
himself.
ROBOCOP - Referring to a correctional officer, one who ensures that
he/she writes a report on every rule infraction regardless of how minor the
offense.
ROLLED - When an inmate is taken from a job, or custody designation for
no apparent reason, of if the inmate claims to have been set up to be caught
doing something wrong, for the sole purpose of taking his job or good time
earning status.
ROW - A wing of the building which contains cells in rows of normally 24
to 36, cells. The wing is divided in tiers of 3, or 4, levels of cells and
normally houses medium or close custody inmates, due to increased security and
more control over movement.
RUNNER - An inmate that is assigned to a wing to clean, inmates in the
cells often summon the inmate to run errands for them, or to pass contraband
items.
S
SAN-ANTO
- Hispanic slang for San Antonio, Texas.
SEG - Administrative segregation, where inmates are housed if the
administration decides that their presence among other inmates in general
population would create a threat to other inmates, staff or himself.
SHAKE DOWN - A search, i.e. cell search, pat search or strip
search for contraband.
SHANK - A homemade stabbing weapon made from any hard object that can be
sharpened, derived from the fact that these weapons used to be made from the
metal part inside the sole of a shoe known as a shank.
SHITTER- Punitive segregation or solitary confinement, where an inmate
is sentenced to stay from 1 to 15 days as a result of a major disciplinary
infraction.
SHOOT - To send by the inmate known as the runner, or to throw down the
run, (i.e. "Shoot me a kite, line, etc.)
SHORT - A. (cigarette); A cigarette butt, some inmates who have no money
on their account, or are on commissary restriction as a result of disciplinary,
often ask other inmates for their cigarette butts or they may even pick them up
from the floor.
B. (time); When an inmate is nearing his release date, he is said to be short.
SHOT - Enough powdered coffee to make one cup, or enough tobacco to roll
one cigarette.
SKEET - To ejaculate.
SLAMMED - When an inmate has to be forcibly wrestled to the ground and
restrained by correctional officers.
SNIPER - An inmate who hides in corners and masturbates while looking at
female employees, or other inmates.
SNITCH - An inmate who gives information about other inmates concerning
drugs, contraband, or other rule infractions to the administration in hopes of
receiving preferential treatment as a result.
SOLD - (hog); When an inmate successfully tells somebody a lie, and has
the person convinced the story is true, the inmate may boast "I sold that
hog."
SPLASH - When an inmate throws a liquid substance at an officer,
or another inmate from inside his cell.
SPRAY
SPREAD
SQUARE
STAY DOWN
STICK
STINGER
STOLE
STORE
STUCK OUT
SWOLE
SYBIL
T
TACK
TANK
THROW DOWN
T-JONES
TEEN AGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES
TOOK
TRICK
TURN KEY
TURN OUT
U
V
W
WARICHE
WICK
WILA
WIRED UP
WISO
WOOD
WRIT
X
Y
YOU
Z
ZOMBIE
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