Meaning of jailhouse lawyer | Babel Free

Definitions

A person incarcerated in a prison, jail, etc., who has acquired significant knowledge of the justice system and who is able to represent himself in some legal proceedings and to provide legal advice to other prisoners.

informal

Examples

“As something of a jailhouse lawyer, he has gathered affidavits attesting to abusive treatment by guards at the center, informed detainees of their legal rights and helped them write letters of appeal.”

“Once there, he became a jailhouse lawyer, filing complaints about everything from prison food to his attorneys.”

“Thus, the justices held that unless the state could provide some reasonable alternative type of legal assistance, a jailhouse lawyer must be permitted to aid inmates in filing habeas corpus petitions.”

CEFR level