Gassing (prison slang)
Encyclopedia
Gassing is prison
slang
for the act of throwing feces
or some other bodily fluid such as urine
, blood
or saliva
at a jail or prison staff member.
Gassing is an act of rebellion by inmates against custodial staff and is a felony
in most U.S. states.
Victims of gassing are encouraged to undertake medical testing for possible infectious diseases. Gassing may occur spontaneously - such as when an inmate spits in the face of a Correctional Officer - or in a planned encounter - such as when an inmate mixes urine or feces with another liquid substance and throws it at a staff member when given the chance. In the state of California
, for example, since 1997 a conviction for gassing carries a sentence of up to four years in prison.
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
for the act of throwing feces
Feces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
or some other bodily fluid such as urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
, blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
or saliva
Saliva
Saliva , referred to in various contexts as spit, spittle, drivel, drool, or slobber, is the watery substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands,...
at a jail or prison staff member.
Gassing is an act of rebellion by inmates against custodial staff and is a felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
in most U.S. states.
Victims of gassing are encouraged to undertake medical testing for possible infectious diseases. Gassing may occur spontaneously - such as when an inmate spits in the face of a Correctional Officer - or in a planned encounter - such as when an inmate mixes urine or feces with another liquid substance and throws it at a staff member when given the chance. In the state of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, for example, since 1997 a conviction for gassing carries a sentence of up to four years in prison.