Where does the saying pokey ( for jail or prison ) come from?

Question:

Answers:
pokey (jail) -- Something that's pokey is small and insignificant -- hence confining. If you land in the pokey, you are in a very small and confining place.

From:
Loose Cannons, Red Herrings & Other Lost Metaphors
by Robert Claiborne, 1986-87
=O...need a I say more ?
perhaps altered from pogie "poorhouse"
The etymology for "Pokey" is: origin unknown
slang : JAIL

pokey (n.) "jail," 1919, perhaps altered from pogie "poorhouse" (1891), of unknown origin.
jails use to have the office right next to set of bars so you were always watching the criminals and they watched you. And if you were sleeping and they wanted you up and out or just to harass you they'd poke you. the cops or sheriff or whatever arent gonna get close enough to the bars for a criminal to grab them.

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