Mary Lou is a former newspaper reporter in Memphis, Tennessee. One of her editors used to say he was off to the salt mines, meaning he was headed to do some challenging work. That expression is a reference to the grim practice of sending prisoners...
joint rag n.— «Magazines produced by prisoners are called “joint rags.”» —“A convict’s look at life on the inside” in Carleton University Carleton Newsroom (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) July 21, 2009...
mack n.— «Mr. Levine and his client were prisoners in California’s Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex. Like other federal inmates around the country, they found a can of mackerel—the “mack” in prison lingo—was the standard...
frequent-flyer program n.— Note: Related to frequent flier and diesel therapy. «Frakt obtained Guantanamo records showing Jawad was moved 112 times from cell to cell during a two-week period in May 2004 in what was known as the...
pass-through contract n.— «Because the federal government does not deal directly with private detention businesses, Nueces County is in the process of negotiating a new federal prisoner housing rate for its own jail as well as a rate for...
cutter court n.— «After lunch, the staff are told the court computer system has gone down, meaning serious delays. The custody court—or “cutter court,” as it’s known by prisoners and staff—is likely to go on until 9pm at least...
