By C1 Staff
JACKSON, Miss. — Nicknames have many uses behind bars, whether they’re just simpler to use or denote an inmate’s status within the prison walls.
The Clarion-Ledger reports that some nicknames are derived from crimes: Bank Robber, Murder and Redrum.
Others are names of their hometowns or attitudes; others can refer to gang membership. Inside the Mississippi facilities nicknames include Bull, Candy, Cowboy, Cracker, Dog, Dragon, and even King Pookie.
There are also nicknames for facilities: Wilkinson Count Correctional Facility is “The Killing Field;” Central Mississippi Correctional facility is “Little Beirut;” the State Penitentiary at Parchman is “The Flatlands;” and East Mississippi Correctional Facility is “Cuckoo’s Nest.”
At least one reason for nicknames, according to former Parchman prison chaplain Roger Burdge, is to help inmates conceal their identities and therefore their pasts.
If there’s one thing inmates have, it’s time, he said. “They have 24 hours a day to sit around and think up stuff.”