AG, Assistant Governor.
‘A’ list, the highest security category.
Albany, top-security jail on the Isle of Wight.
association, recreation period when prisoners are allowed to mix.
bang-up, lock-up.
bird, prison sentence, time.
bit of work, a criminal venture, i.e. a robbery.
blade, homemade knife.
blagger, armed robber.
blank (to get a), to be snubbed, or to be refused something.
block, punishment block (see also chokey).
book, horse-racing book.
bridge, in a prison, a short landing running across the wing, joining the two long landings on either side.
brief, solicitor.
Broadmoor, top-security hospital for the criminally insane, in Berkshire.
centre (the), the ‘hub’ where the wings of a Victorian jail meet.
chaps, an almost mythical grouping of criminals whose ethos includes: professionalism in the pursuit of crime; loyalty to others of their kind; hatred of and non-co-operation with authority; and courage. Many aspire to membership, few qualify.
chief, chief officer; the most senior uniformed officer in the jail.
chokey, punishment block (see also block).
civvy, civilian instructor.
‘E’ man, someone on the ‘escape list’, placed there for having escaped, attempting to escape or being suspected of planning to escape.
face, notorious or influential criminal with some standing within the criminal fraternity – i.e. ‘to be a face’.
firm-handed, to be in a group or crowd.
food-boat, arrangement where several prisoners chip in to cover the expense of a shared meal.
fours and fives, in a prison, the fourth and fifth landings.
Gartree, top-security, category-A prison near Market Harborough.
gavolt, rumpus.
GBH, grievous bodily harm.
on the out, outside prison.
glassed, to be hit with a glass (usually in the face).
go into one (to), to throw a violent tantrum.
Good Order and Discipline, see Rule 43.
grass, to inform, an informer.
heavy (the), armed robbery.
heavy mob (the), the riot squad.
hooch, homebrewed booze.
hot-plate, industrial oven used to keep food hot.
hump (the), mood of aggressive depression.
Jack the Hat, Jack McVitie, murdered by Ron and Reg Kray.
joey, small parcel, usually of contraband.
khazi, toilet.
long-firm, a type of fraud.
Long Lartin, top-security jail in the Midlands.
make one, to join in some illegal venture – e.g. an escape.
Maze (the), top-security prison near Lisburn, County Antrim, Northern Ireland (a.k.a. Long Kesh).
Moor, Dartmoor Prison in Devon.
mugs, fools.
nitto, look out! beware!
nonce, sex offender.
off (to be), trouble breaking out.
Old Bill, the police.
ones, in a prison, the lowest landing.
on the book, if you are an ‘A’ or ‘E’ man, a small book with your photo in it goes everywhere you go.
on the out, outside prison.
Parkhurst, one of two maximum-security prisons on the Isle of Wight.
patches, distinctive clothing worn by men on the ‘escape list’ (see ‘E’ men). The trousers have bright-yellow stripes down the outside seams, and there are bright-yellow patches on jacket and trouser pockets.
PO, principal officer.
POA, Prison Officers Association, their union.
pony, crap, shit.
pop, escape attempt.
potting up, to throw the contents of a chamber pot about.
Rampton, top-security hospital for the criminally insane, in Nottinghamshire.
raver, homosexual, poof.
ready-eye, planned trap set by the police.
rec, recommendation, minimum term to be served.
recess, toilet and washing area on a prison wing.
remedials, special gym sessions for medical-rehabilitation purposes.
ringer, stolen car, or double (twin).
Rule 43, indefinite segregation, either for self-protection or because ‘Good Order and Discipline’ may be violated (i.e. the prisoner is deemed subversive).
screw, prison warder.
Scrubs, Wormwood Scrubs Prison in West London.
shanghaied, transferred immediately to another prison.
slag, ‘rat’, someone who is no good.
slopping out, prisoners emptying their chamber pots and/or washing bowls in the recess.
snout, tobacco.
SO, senior officer.
soapy, dirty, untidy.
spiel, gambling club, often illegal.
spin, search.
stage rooms, association rooms, where prisoners have their recreation periods.
straight goer, honest man who goes to work for a living.
straightened, corrupted.
tea-boat, arrangement where several prisoners chip in to cover the expense of sharing a pot of tea.
tear-up, violent conflict. threes, in a prison, the third landing.
tie-up, a robbery, usually in a private house, during which people are tied up.
tool, weapon.
the Twins, Ron and Reg Kray.
two stretch, two-year sentence.
twos, in a prison, the second landing.
VC, Visiting Committee: magistrates who adjudicate on serious prison offences.
volley, to abuse verbally.
Wanno, Wandsworth Prison, top-security jail in South London.
warm at (to be), to be good at something.
white shirt, senior officer, either a PO or an SO.