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Only the Truth
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Texas, USA
Posts: 468
TDCJ Slang Dictionary
The following terms are or have been used on the various units. Be aware that with the geographic size of TDCJ, some terms may not be used at all units/Regions. And this is not the full list, I'm still collecting.
AD SEG: Administrative segregation. A cell that isolates the inmate from contact with others and restricts access to recreation facilities, commissary, and other services. Also see
Super seg, lock-up, solitary, the hole
AGGIE: (Agricultural tool); A garden hoe used in field work doing flat hoeing (Not to be confused with a
ho)
BEAN SLOT: A small rectangular opening in the cell door of most segregation areas which is used to handcuff the inmate prior to opening the cell door, or to deliver the food tray to the inmate without opening the cell door.
BOSS: A term used extensively by inmates to refer to officers working as guards
(Correctional officers). This term was coined in the early years of penitentiaries to represent the initials of "Sorry son of a bitch" written backwards. Most of the people currently in the system are not aware of this and the term is accepted by officers as a polite “sir” name.
CATCH OUT: Any person whether it be inmate or officer, that could not handle the pressure of a situation, and left for this reason.
CAT HEAD: Biscuits or rolls are often called cat heads. The origin of this word is Southern “Country’ and refers to the fact that the biscuits are as big as a cat’s head.
COMMISSARY: The inmate’s general store that sells snacks, canned goods, toiletries, envelopes and stamps, radios, fans, and other “necessities”.
CELL WARRIOR: An inmate that is continually making threats or ethnic remarks while in the safety of his/her cell, but will remain quiet or very polite while outside of the cell.
CHECK(ED): When one person has threatened another person and the person that has been threatened fails to, or is afraid to respond, that person is said to have been checked. If one person continually allows the other to threaten him/her without standing up, that person is said to be in check.
CHALK: A crude wine made from yeast, sugar, rice or fruit and water.
CHO CHO: Ice Cream.
CLIQUE: Any group of people, usually of the same race, that use their numbers as strength, or any time one person is ganged up on or beat up by a large group of people, that person is said to have been cliqued on.
CROSSED OUT: When a person is taken from a good area, job, etc. for something they claim not to have done, or for something that they don't feel they should have been blamed for, they say they were "crossed out".
DOG: (
road); What an inmate often calls his friends, the closest friend is often referred to as a road dog.
DRIVE-UP: Newly arrived inmate or security officer. Also
new boot, greenie, and
still shittin McDonalds
DOWN: (time #); A term in prison, i.e. "How many times have you been down."
DROPPED: (
get); When an officer forcibly wrestles an inmate to the ground to be restrained. Also
EAT CONCRETE, SLAMMED
DUCE IT UP: A term used by correctional officers to instruct a group of inmates to stand in pairs for count or control purposes.
FIEND : A person that is addicted to drugs is called a fiend, when that person is begging or in dire need of the drugs including cigarettes, the person is said to be fiend'n.
FISHING POLE: A device made from rolled up newspaper or other paper, with a paper clip in one end, used for retrieving items from the runs in front of their cells.
FISHING LINE: Made from torn sheets or string, having a weighted object tied to one end and used to throw down the run to inmates in other cells to pass items.
FIX UP: To give an inmate more food on his tray than the other inmates are receiving, or to do an inmate a special favor that the other inmates will not receive. "Fix me up."
FLAT WEED:
Agriculture) To chop grass with a garden hoe, chopping away everything down to the dirt. (
Fight) To lose a fight badly is to get "Flat-weeded". Inmates often use this term to mean they were wrestled down by officers (
see slammed)
FLIP FLOP: When two homosexual inmates take turns playing the male or female roles. See
pitching and catching
GAME: A routine developed to produce income, manipulate others, or avoid punishment.
(back in the game) Prison life in Texas prior to the Ruiz settlement in 1981, was called "The game". Now, inmates who have been incarcerated for two or more years believe that they were in the game when they processed in and actually have no knowledge of what the term really stands for.
(has a) Person who is able to fight well, or to talk his way out of almost anything. Also see
running a game
G.E.D. – General Educational Development test. The high school equivalency test used for drop-outs and adults. Now a parole requirement.
GENERAL POPULATION: (
also pop); 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. (
As opposed to lock up, or seg)
GIRL: Any inmate that acts like a female. Also
sissy, punk
GOOD OL’ BOY: Southern term indicating a member of the in-crowd. It calls up the image of a tobacco spitting, boot wearing, beer drinking, pick-up driving male. But it could also be a retired warden, building major, maintenance supervisor or
boss who is part of a group that protects and promotes each other.
GOON SQUAD: A team of five officers in riot gear prepared to conduct a forced removal of an inmate from a cell.
Also Ninja Turtles
GREENIE: Newly arrived inmate or security officer. Also see
drive-up, new boot, and
still shittin’ McDonalds
GROUND: (on the); When an inmate escapes he is on the ground.
HE/SHE: A pre-operation transsexual
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: 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 garden hoes as their primary tool.
HOG: 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. (
bought / soldThis is a term used to mean an untrue statement.
HOLE, THE: Administrative segregation. A cell that isolates the inmate from contact from others, restricts access to recreation facilities, commissary, and other services. Also see
Ad seg, Lock-up, Super seg, solitary
HYGIENES: Items such as toothpaste, deodorant, soap, etc. are collectively referred to by inmates as "My hygienes".
JACK BOOK: Magazines, or books depicting naked women, i.e. Playboy, Penthouse, 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."
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.
LOCK-UP: Administrative segregation. A cell that isolates the inmate from contact from others, restricts access to recreation facilities, commissary, and other services. Also see Ad seg,
Super seg, solitary, the hole
MONEY: (
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. (
sit on); inmates sometimes refer to a females or a homosexuals buttocks as their money.
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.
NEW BOOT: Newly arrived inmate or security officer. Also see
drive-up, greenie, and
still shittin McDonalds
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.
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.
PIDDLIN': A recreational activity performed by eligible inmates in which they produce a craft item, i.e. leather goods, art etc. to sell to the staff or general public.
PITCHIN' / CATCHIN': When two homosexuals take turns playing the male and female roles in sexual activities. See
flip-flop
[FONT="]QUACK[/FONT]: A psychiatrist
RABBIT: An inmate who is likely to, or has just escaped.
RACK: (
bunk) An inmate’s bunk is sometimes called a rack. (
Rack 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.
RANK: Security officer of the grade of Lieutenant, Captain, Major, etc.
RAZOR WIRE: The modern version of barbed wire. It is a ribbon of stainless steel with sharpened edges and projections that cut and tear skin and clothing
RIDE: (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. (
to ride with) When an inmate chooses to be the "kid" (
See KID) of one inmate over any other, he is said to be riding with him.
ROACH: An inmate that does not shower, brush his teeth or clean 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: Lost a job, privilege or custody designation for no apparent reason, or if the inmate claims to have been set up to be caught doing something wrong, for the sole purpose of getting him in trouble.
ROW: A floor of the housing area which contains cells in a row of normally 21 to 36 cells. The wing is divided in rows of 3, or 4, levels of cells.
RUNNING A GAME: A scheme developed to produce income, manipulate others, or avoid punishment. Also see
game
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.
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. The sink/toilet unit in a cell or a bathroom.
SHOT: Enough powdered coffee to make one cup, or enough tobacco to roll one cigarette.
SLAP THE PAPER ON HIM: Fill out a disciplinary report. Also see w
rite up
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.
SNITCH JACKET: To identify that an inmate is a snitch.
He’s wearing a snitch jacket.
SOLD:
(hog); When an inmate successfully tells somebody a lie, and has the person convinced that the story is true, the inmate may boast "I sold that hog."
SOLITARY: Administrative segregation. A cell that isolates the inmate from contact from others, restricts access to recreation facilities, commissary, and other services. Also see Ad seg,
Super seg, the hole
SPLASH: (
Chunk); When an inmate throws a liquid substance (urine of feces) at an officer, or another inmate, from inside his cell.
SPRAY: (w/ uzi); Often used in fond remembrance of when they were free, inmates brag about spraying an area with an uzi machine gun, meaning to hold down the trigger and sweep from side to side. About 98% of these stories are “selling a hog”.
SPREAD: When several inmates buy items of food from the commissary, combine the foods into a large bowl and make sandwiches from the mixture. This usually involves meat, chips, soups, bread or tortillas, jalapi?o peppers, sodas, etc.
SQUARE: (deck); A cigarette; A pack of cigarettes is known as a deck of squares.
STAY DOWN: A phrase used to encourage an inmate to remain faithful to his cause, i.e. fight for his beliefs.
STINGER: (Im
mersion heater); A water heater made of an electrical cord and a coil of metal that will boil water when plugged into a wall socket, and immersed in water.(
homemade) A cord cut from a lamp or other electrical appliance, with a a razor blade tied to the bare end of each wire. They are kept separated by sticks and placed into a cup of water.
STORE: (
to open ) When an inmate begins to sell contraband items that he makes, or items that he steals to other inmates, he has opened a store. (
To make); To make store is simply to shop at the Commissary.
STUCK OUT: A day late and a dollar short. Too late to attend a specific function, i.e. showers, meals, recreation, work, etc., to the point that the boss will not allow the inmate to participate. Of ten a form of petty punishment or retaliation by the boss.
SWOLE: When an inmate is “fighting mad” he is “swole”.
STUCK-OUT: His luck’s run out. There’s no solution
SUPER SEG: Administrative segregation. A cell that isolates the inmate from contact from others, restricts access to recreation facilities, commissary, and other services. Also see Ad seg, Solitary
, the hole
TACK: To do a tattoo. (
Tacker) A tattoo artist
TANK: Dormitory living quarters, where inmates can move about freely until count or rack time.
THROW DOWN:
(fight) If an inmate is a good fighter or does not show fear of fighting, the inmate will “throw down”, or “go to the square”.
TEEN AGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: (See
Ninja Turtles and Goon Squad)
TOOK:
(hogged); When an inmate takes something from another by force, in exchange for store items, i.e. cigarettes. (
Sodomy)Any inmate who would pay a homosexual for sex.
TURN-KEY: Prior to the Ruiz lawsuit in 1981, inmates were assigned to operate the doors to areas, and maintained control of the keys to those areas, these inmates were known as the turnkeys; more recently, any officer assigned to a post in which he/she must operate doors to wings or cell blocks is called the "turn key boss".
TURN OUT: (work); When a squad of inmates are lined up in preparation for going to work, this is called a turn out.
(punk); When an inmate is initially forced to assume the female role in a homosexual act, and then chooses to do so to avoid fighting thereafter, he is considered to have been turned out.
T.D.C.: Texas Department of Correction. The old name of the agency before the “enlightenment” of the 90s.
T.D.C.J.: The Texas Department of CriminalJustice. The “new and improved” TDC, that included previously independent agencies.
T.D.C.J.-I.D.: The Institutional Division of the prison system. The prison operation as opposed to Parole, Texas Correctional Industries, etc.
WIRED UP: When an inmate is easily aggravated, high on coffee or drugs in a manner that causes him to act impulsively or hastily, he is wired up.
WOOD: What most white inmates call other white inmates who they believe have the ability to stand up for themselves. They may belong to the gangs Aryan Brotherhood or Aryan Circle. Derived from "pecker wood".
WRIT: Any legal paper or document, normally one that is specifically used for the purpose of appealing their sentence, or to complain about conditions in the prison through the courts.
WRITE UP : Fill out a disciplinary report. Also see
slap the paper on him
YOU: (
is that ); When an inmate asks another inmate if a picture of a girl is that inmate’s girlfriend, or asking if a homosexual inmate is his "girl", they ask "Is that you?".
ZOMBIE: After an inmate has masturbated while looking at someone, they sometimes refer to that person as a zombie.
I highly doubt there's any BP members who have served time in jail or prison. There are a few members who may be drunk driving morons, but I haven't come across anyone dumb or pathetic enough to actually get locked up.
