Learn how inmates speak to each other.

This glossary of slang terms consists of the words and phrases most commonly used by federal inmates. Each region and prison may have its own unique words or phrases that reflect that environment, but by becoming familiar with the terms below, you will be better equipped to converse with any inmate or ex-con, allowing you to navigate a BOP prison yard and understand references found in federal prison books without sounding like a completely new fish.

A&O – Admission and Orientation.

AB – Aryan Brotherhood.

About That Life – Fully committed to the gangster/criminal lifestyle.

AdSeg – Administrative Detention in the Special Housing Unit.

ADX – Ultra-maximum prison in Colorado or an ultra-max wing in Terre Haute.

All Day – Life sentence.

AW – Associate Warden. 

Back Door Parole – Dying in prison.

Bad Paperwork – Criminal History with sex offenses, violence against women or children or being an informant.

Bedbook Count – Count where staff check IDs of inmates to confirm they are living in the correct cell or bunk.

Bed Roll – Issued sheets, blankets and maybe a pillowcase. They will also contain two towels and maybe a washcloth. 

Beef – 1. Disagreement. 2. Problem between two inmates or cars. .

Behind the Fence – At a medium or low security prison.

Behind the Wall – At a maximum-security prison.

Belly Chain – Chain wrapped around an inmate that handcuffs are then secured to in order to further restrict an inmate’s ability to move.

Bid – Prison sentence.

Black Box – Added security for handcuffs that restrict movement even further.

Blanket Party – When several inmates hold a blanket over a sleeping inmate and then beat them.

Block – Prison housing unit.

Blues – Full issued blue uniform.

Board – Gambling board used for sports betting or raffles.

Boat – Plastic Tub used to add an extra sleeping space in a cell.

Bomb – Package of food smuggled out of the kitchen. Something very good.

Bones – Dominoes.

Bo-bos – Shoes.

Books – Commissary account. Can also refer to books of stamps.

Boost – Steal.

Booty Bandit – Homosexual predator of other inmates  in prison.

Box – Special Housing Unit. Also refers to the Black Box used on handcuffs.

BP-8 – Informal complaint files with the prison staff. Also called a Cop-Out

BP-9 – Formal BP-8 complaint appeal sent to the Warden of the prison.

BP-10 – Formal BP-9 complaint appeal sent to the Regional Director.

BP-11 – Formal BP-10 complaint sent to the Office of General Counsel.

Brick – Kilogram of a drug, usually marijuana or cocaine.

Bucking – Refusing to do something.

Buggin’ – Crazy

Built Like That – Good enough to do what they say they will do.

Bunkie – Cellmate.

Bus Pants – In transit, inmates are often put in a jumpsuit or a short sleeve pullover top with pants that have an elastic band. 

Bust a cap – Shoot someone. 

Cadillac – Broom and dustpan. Sometimes just the broom.

Call-Out – Inmate appointment with staff. 

Call-Outs – Printout listing all inmate appointments with staff. Usually for the entire unit..

Camp – Minimum security prison.

Canteen – Commissary.

Cap – Amount of marijuanna that fits in a chapstick cap. 

Car – Group an inmate is associated with in prison.

Care Package – Package of basic (and sometimes not so basic) items given to a new arrival to get them through until their property or money catches up to them.

Case – Official criminal charges.

Catch the Cut – A phrase signaling a fight in a blind spot away from cameras.

Cell Gangster – Someone that takes tough from behind a locked door.

Cellie – Cellmate.

Census Count - When Staff count at a non-scheduled count time.

Check-In – When an inmate requests PC for safety reasons.

Check-In Gang – A derogatory term for inmates who frequently seek PC.

Check Someone – Confront another inmate.

CERT – Correctional Emergency Response Teams. See also: Turtles. Specially trained officers used for breaking up riots, cell extractions, mass searches and the like.

Chester – Sex offender. Usually for someone that has a hands-on crime against a minor. Comes from “Chester the Molester,” a comic from Hustler magazine in the late 70s to late 80s.

Chin Check – Punch someone.

Chit – Marker inmates use at work to exchange for tools

Chomo – Slang for “child molester.”

Chow – Prison supplied meal.

Chow Hall – Area designated for eating.

Class A Tool – Item that could be used to facilitate an escape and requires a staff member to keep watch over it at all times.

Class B Tool – Items that are not usable to facilitate an escape, but still not allowable in an inmate's constant possession and must be returned and accounted for each shift.

Club Fed – Easy and comfortable Federal prison. Usually refers to camps or a few lows.

CO – Corrections Officer.

Co-D – Pronounced “Cody.” Co-defendent.

Commissary – Place or time when inmates can purchase items.

Common Fare – Kosher/Halal meal. 

Complex – Site with more than one Prison (not including a Camp).

ConAir – BOP airplanes.

Contact Visit – Visit where an inmate is allowed to hug/kiss/touch visitors.

Control – Main communications area of the compound. Responsible for announcements and confirming count figures. 

Controlled Movement – Limited time to get from one area of the compound to another.

Convict – Someone that does time the “correct” way.

Cop-Out – Written request to staff.

Count – Sometimes “Count Time.” Time inmates are physically counted by staff.

County – County jail.

Crash Test Dummy – Someone doing something stupid.

CRT – See CERT Team. 

Day Room – Unit’s common use area.

D-Bo – Force someone to do something or take something by force.

Detainer – A hold put on an inmate by another jurisdiction so that upon reaching their release date, that inmate will be continued to be held for a period of time for that other agency to come and take that inmate into custody.

DHO – Disciplinary Hearing Officer. Person who adjudicates serious write-ups.

Diddler – Sex offender.

Diesel Therapy – Getting taken on a long circuitous route when in transit between facilities as a form of punishment.

Dime – 10-year sentence.

Dirty - 1. Doing something against the rules/carrying contraband.. 2. Has drugs in their system.

DisSeg – Disciplinary Segregation in the Special Housing Unit.

Dog – Friend.

Dorm – Unit with open bunks instead of cells.

Dove – 20-year sentence.

Down – In prison.

Down Low – Keep something a secret or low key.

Drive-by – Fart while walking past someone.

Drop Out – Leaving a gang or group, often requiring PC for protection.

Dry Cell – Cell where the water and toilet have been turned off.

Dry Snitching – Speaking loudly so staff can overhear or otherwise telling on another inmate without directly speaking to a staff member.

Deuce – Feces (a.k.a. #2). Can also refer to the drug K2.

Deuces – Staff member alarm and call for help by hitting a panic button on their radio. 

Ducking Rec – Avoiding a fight. 

Ear Hustle – Listen to someone else’s conversation.

Elbow – 15-year sentence.

Eyeball – Stare at someone. 

Facilities – Inmate work area responsible for prison upkeep and maintenance.

Fair One – One on one fight.

Fall Back – Step back let something continue to happen without intervention.

Fam – Prison family member. Usually refers to someone from the same area or gang.

Family – Fam.

FCI – Medium or Low security prison.

FDC – Federal Detention Center

FiFi – Imitation vagina usually made from a rolled-up towel and a rubber glove.

Fiend – Drug addict.

Fiending – Craving.

File – 1. An inmate's file. 2. To submit a formal or informal complaint.

Fish – A new inmate, inexperienced and vulnerable.

Fishing – Using a string and weight to send notes and items under the doors between cells.

Five-O – Staff.

Flat – Time served fully with no good time.

Flat Book – Book of 20 stamps still in one piece and not broken apart.

FMC – Federal Medical Center. Prisons that hold medical or psychological care centers.

Fog Count – Stand up count called after a recall for inclement weather. 

Food Jew – Someone pretending to be Jewish for the Kosher meals.

Frequent Check – Inmate that staff members have to make sure is alive and ok every few hours.

Fresh Meat – New inmate.

Front Street – Something blatantly in the open or widely shared.

FRP – Financial Responsibility Program. 

FTC – Federal Transfer Center. Federal holdover facility for inmates in transit. 

G – Short for “Gangsta.”

GED – General Education Development. A High School Diploma equivalency certificate or program.

General Population – The regular, non-segregated, population of a prison.

Good Time – Time off a sentence for staying out of trouble.

Green – New inmate or staff member.

Greens – Full BOP issued green uniform.

Green Light – An order for violence against an inmate or group of inmates.

Get Right – Remove all contraband from an area.

Glove – Win a game against someone 5 times in a row.

Good – Has good paperwork. As refers to someone allowed to be somewhere or do something they wouldn’t otherwise be allowed to be or do.

Goon Squad – A team of Corrections Officers used for more physical duties with inmates like cell extractions and riot control.

Government – A person’s official name. Also refers to the Feds.

Greys – Sweatsuits, shirts and shorts purchased on commissary.

Grievance – Paperwork for administrative remedy.

Gump – Homosexual.

Gunning – Masturbating while looking at someone. 

Halfway House – Community-based facility to help inmates transition to the outside.

Hands – Ability to fight.

Hang It Up – Commit suicide. Can also mean to give up resisting.

High – USP or Maximum Security.

Hit – Out of luck. “You’re hit” means you are not getting what you want.

Hold your mud – Not tell on someone.

Hooch – Prison wine.

Hole – Special Housing Unit.

Hot – Refers to something risky or under surveillance.

House – Cell.

Hustle – Way an inmate earns money in prison other than a prison job. 

Incident Report – Write up. Shot. 

Indigent – An inmate having less than $6.00 in their account for the past 30 days. 

Ink – Tattoo.

Inmate – Someone that does time and obeys all of the rules.

Inmate.com – Inmate rumor mill.

In His Feelings – Upset or angry.

Intake – Area an inmate is processed coming into or out of prison.

In the cut – Waiting out of sight or where there are no cameras.

Institutionalized – Inmate that has adopted the prison lifestyle/routine to such a degree that they are unable to act normally or in socially acceptable ways even after release.

Irons – Usually refers to the combination of handcuffs and shackles. 

Jacked – 1. Muscular. 2. Steal from someone.

Jacket – Inmate’s prison file.

Jackie Chan’s – Slip-on shoes usually given to new inmates.

Jacking Rec – Ruining someone else’s activity.

Jafaken – Someone pretending to be Rastafarian, usually to receive religious meals.

Jailhouse Lawyer – Inmate that does their own legal work. Inmate that does legal work for other inmates.

Jit – Young inmate.

Jitterbug –  A loud, big-mouthed inmate who likes to cause trouble. Often young.

Joint – Prison.

Jumpsuit – One-piece uniform worn by new or traveling inmates.

Juvie – Prison for minors. 

K2 – Synthetic marijuana.

Keep it 100 – Be totally honest.

Keep it Real – Be totally honest.

Khakis – Full issued khaki uniform.

Kicking the bo-bos – Hanging out and talking with someone.

Kiester – Hiding contraband inside the anal cavity of the body.

Kitchen – Area meals are prepared for the inmate population.

Kite – A note passed between inmates. 

Laced Up – Ready to fight. Refers to having their boots tied tightly.

Lay Down – Stop resisting and accept a situation.

Leg Irons – Ankle shackles.

Lights Out – Time when the main lights in the unit are turned off and inmates are expected to go to sleep.

List – Commissary list. 

Lockdown – When inmates have their movement restricted to their cells or unit for safety or security reasons. 

Lockdown Census – Time when inmates are locked in whatever area they are currently and then counted, often required to show ID. Used to find inmates out of bounds or when staff is looking for a particular inmate.

Lock it in – Make a bet.

Low – FCI or Low Security prison. 

Mack – Mackerel. Inexpensive protein source of inmates.

Mail Call – Time when mail is passed out.

Mainline – Area right outside of the Chow Hall.

Man Up – Take responsibility for something.

Max – Maximum security prison.

Max Out – Do one’s full sentence. Refuse Halfway House or lose all good time.

MCC – Metropolitan Correctional Center. Federal holdover facility.

MDC – Metropolitan Detention Center. Federal holdover facility.

Medium – FCI or Medium Security prison.

Med Trip – Going to see an outside doctor.

Merry-Go-Round – On an inmate’s last day, they go around to each department for a signature okaying their release.

Mess Hall – See Chow Hall. 

Move – Usually “The move.” Time inmates are allowed to go from one area of the compound to another. 

New Jack – New corrections officer.

Nickel - 5-year sentence.

No Good – Someone with bad paperwork or a known snitch.

No Hands – Indicates an inmate will not fight back. 

Off the Chain – 1. Out of control. 2. Really good.

OG – Older person in prison. Comes from “Original Gangster.”

Old Head – Long time inmate. Older Inmate.

On Blast – Reveal someone’s secrets to the general population.

On Lock – Have control over something.

On the Door – Being housed in PC or segregation.

On the Lam – On the run from the police.

Open House – Set times any inmates who are not on a Call Out are allowed to come to a staff member or department to ask questions or the like.

Orderly – Inmate assigned to clean an area of the prison.

Outcount – A list of inmates to be counted in area other than their cell.

Out of Bounds – An area inmates, or only certain inmates, are permitted to be in. 

PAC Number – Phone Access Code. Number needed to use the phone system in the BOP. 

Pack Out – Gather up belongings because the inmate is leaving or in the SHU.

Paper – Time on probation or supervised release. Money.

Paperwork – Often refers to an inmate’s legal papers that show their charges and case information. Also refers to Administrative Remedies filed by an inmate against the staff..

PC (Protective Custody) – Housing for inmates who need protection.

Peckerwood – Member of the Woodpile. White supremist gang member.

Pedo – Pedophile.

Peel – Take your shirt off. Usually to show how fit you are.

Pen – Penitentiary. USP Maximum Security prison.

Peter Beach – Area of the Rec Yard where inmates (usually gay or SOs) sunbathe/hang out.

Phone Check – Confronting an inmate on the phone and even hanging up on them.

Pile – Weight Pile.

Pill Line – Place inmates get their medications.

PO – Probation officer.

Points – Inmate’s custody points that determine their level.

Poker Table – Place for gambling on various card games.

Police – Any official police officer, agent or staff member. Can also refer to snitches.

Politics – How inmate groups interact at a facility.

PoPo – Police.

Popping Off – Fight or other major activity happening.

Post – Area a staff member is assigned to cover. 

Post Up – Watch and wait or keep a lookout.

PREA – Prison Rape Elimination Act.

Prison Gay – Someone that participates in homosexual activity only while incarcerated.

Prison Pocket – Rectum.

Programming – Participating in prison classes and programs.

Property – Inmate’s belongings.

Punk – Homosexual.

Put Boots To – Beat someone down and then kick them.

Put on the Door – Having an inmate’s property set by the door or officer’s station as a sign that they need to get out of the unit or else. An inmate can put their own property on the door. 

Quiet Time – Time after lights out when inmates are expected to keep noise levels down due to other inmates sleeping. 

R&D – Receiving and Discharge. Where inmates arrive and leave a prison.

Rack – Bed.

Rat – Snitch.

Rec – Recreation yard. Participating in an activity, including fighting.

Recall – Time when inmates are all to return to their cells/housing units. Usually for an upcoming count.

Ride with – Do something with another inmate.

Road Dog – Close friend.

RoboCop – Super strict CO.

Rotation – Refers to the order the Units are released for meals.

Runner – Person who distributes/collects/pays out gambling tickets.

Run Wild – Sentences run consecutively.  

Sally Port – Area to enter/exit a prison where only one door/gate can be open at a time.

Satellite Camp – Small minimum-security prison located outside of a higher security facility.

Screw – Guard.

Seg – Short for “segregation.”

Sensitive 10 – Refers to an Administrative Complaint that skips the normal process because the inmate fears for their safety or similar reason if local staff learn of the complaint.

Separatee – Person that the prison has put a no-contact restriction on. The two inmates are not allowed to be at the same facility.

Shackles – Cuffs put around an inmate’s ankles to reduce movement to a shuffle.

Shakedown – Staff searches or an area or inmate.

Shake the spoon – Serve less than a normal portion of food.

Shank – Sharpened weapon.

Shitter – Toilet.

Short – Little time left on a sentence.

Short-Line – Meal served to inmates before the general population is served.

Shorty – Female.

Shot – Write up from a staff member.

Shot Caller – A gang leader or influential inmate.

Shot out – Someone of questionable sanity.

SHU – Pronounced “shoe.” Special Housing Unit.

Sick Call – Time when inmates can report illnesses or injuries.

SIS – Special Investigation Service. Investigative police staff.

Skip Bid – Short sentence.

Skunk – Beat someone in a series of games where they do not win any.

Slides – Shower shoes.

Slot – Lockable slot in cell door where food/items are passed to inmates.

Smell Good – Cleaner or concoction used to make a cell smell better.

Sneak – Hit someone that wasn’t looking.

Snitch – Informant; often targeted and placed in PC.

SOE – Supervisor of Education

Soft – Someone who is weak and will not fight back.

SOMP – Sex Offender Management Program

SOR – Supervisor of Recreation

SOTP  – Sex Offender Treatment Program

Soup – Ramen noodle packet.

Spades – Commonly played card game

Special Assessment – Fine imposed for each conviction. 

Special Housing Unit – See SHU.

Spice – K2

Squash – Kill an issue.

Stack – Refers to a “stack” or bundle of ten $100 bills. $1,000.

Stinger – Inmate-made electronic heater for cooking food and heating water.

Straight – Something or someone good or safe.

Stole – Hit someone when they aren’t looking.

Store – Prison commissary. Also an inmate run shop to purchase commissary.

Store Man – Inmate that runs a store.

Strapped – Carrying a weapon.

Street – The outside world.

Street Clothes – Clothes wore into prison or sent in to be worn upon release.

Street to Street – Having money transferred from one person on the outside to another person on the outside.

Stuntin’ – Lying.

Suitcase – Hiding contraband inside the anal cavity of the body.

Super Cop – Very strict CO. 

Talk – Snitch on someone/something.

Talking Out of the Side of Their Neck – Talk tough, but unable to back it up.

Team – 1. Short for an inmate’s Unit Team. 2. A bi-annual meeting between an inmate, Unit Manager, Counselor, and Case Manager where the inmate’s custody level, programming, and other things are discussed.

Tell – Snitch on someone or something.

Throwdown – Fight.

Ticket – Gambling ticket. Usually for sports betting.

Ticket Man – Person running/backing a gambling ticket.

Tight – Mad.

Tighten Up – Prepare yourself. Straighten yourself up.

Tonk – Card game typically used for gambling

To the Door – Time before release.

Tower – Gun towers around a prison perimeter.

Town Hall – A meeting where everyone in the unit is told about something important that can or does affect the entire unit. This can be a change of BOP policy, change of unit rules, or other such pertinent information.

Transit – On the way to or from a prison, jail or courthouse.

Truck – Trucks used to patrol the perimeter of a prison.

Turned Out – Became homosexual.

Turtles – Staff members suited up in helmets, body armor and shields. See CERT.

UA – Urinalysis test.

UDC – Unit Disciplinary Committee. An inmate's Unit Team that handles discipline for all but the most serious write-ups.

UNICOR – Federal Prison Industries. 

Unit – Prison block or living quarters.

Unit Team – See Team.

Upstate – Refers moving from county jail to a prison.

USP – Maximum security prison. 

VI – (Pronounced: Vee-Eye) Visit

Viking – Someone unclean.

Violated – Supervised Release or Parole Revoked. Did something bad to another inmate. 

Wand – Handheld metal detector.

Wear Out – Beat someone badly. Either in a fight or a game/sport.

Weight Pile – Area where free weights are located.

Wood Pile – White controlled group or area.

Work – Fighting/Stabbing another inmate. Usually referred to as “Putting in work.” 

Work Cadre — Inmate work detail designated to an otherwise temporary holding facility.

Work Release – Work on the outside but return to prison for the rest of the day.

Wrecked – Got in trouble.

Write Up – Disciplinary report. 

X – The drug Ecstasy. 

Yard – Recreation Area. Can also refer to an entire prison compound.

Youngblood – Young person.

You’re Dead – You’re not going to get what you want. 

Zoom-Zooms and Wham-Whams – Sweets and snacks from the commissary. 

5-0 – CO or staff member.

5K1 – Downward sentence departure for substantial assistance.