This section contains first-person reports by our writers about aspects of prison rooted in their personal experiences. Editors verify basic information in these stories. But some claims that rely on the writer’s observations and first-hand experiences cannot always be independently confirmed.
“Kite” is a prison term for an informal message or a complaint. According to one theory, the term originated in the mid-1800s when incarcerated people were not allowed to speak and instead passed messages to each other using Kite branded cigarette rolling papers. Another theory holds that the word came from the practice of people communicating with others by attaching a note to a string and swinging it to their friend’s cell, much like a kite.
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