Usage in British prisons
Nonce (UK slang) first came into widespread use in UK prisons, where it is primarily used by prisoners to refer to convicted sex offenders, especially of children. "Nonces" are traditionally targets of physical abuse from their prison inmates, and so usually go on Rule 43, the rule that enables the segregation of vulnerable prisoners from the other prisoners for their own safety. The Rule 43 section of British prisons in which sex offenders are segregated is often referred to as the "nonce wing". See also Phillip Archbold.
Various backronyms such as "Not on Normal Courtyard Exercise" and "Non-Specified Offender" are suggested in some sources to explain the origin of the slang term nonce and the segregation of sex offenders, but they should not be taken seriously. The actual origin of this word is unknown, but it is probable that it is an abbreviation of nonsense or nonsense case, possibly derived as British prisoner slang for prisoners who have committed a "nonsense crime", as opposed to a crime such as theft. There is also evidence for a possible connection with nancy, a derogatory term referring to effeminate or homosexual males, and with a dialectical use of "nonse" to refer to a worthless person.
Not of Normal Criminal Extraction - ie middle class or above - and therefore seen as a target by the majority of inmates.
