Famous Jailed People A-Z with Clues

A – tutored Alexander the Great and was later sentenced to death but voluntarily retired to the city of Chalcis

B – Pakistani stateswoman who was repeatedly imprisoned and died by assassination in 2007

C – President of France 1995–2007; in 2011 found guilty of corruption

D – experiencing isolation first hand in prison probably helped him when writing Robinson Crusoe

E – was imprisoned on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels before becoming Queen in 1558

F – gunpowder, House of Lords, bonfires, 5 November

G – arrested in 1977 for traffic violations; in 1995 became the wealthiest person in the world

H – when the Bavarian Supreme Court pardoned him in 1924, they couldn’t know he’d end up causing millions of deaths

I – King of Libya 1951–1969, later sentenced to death; the same name is used by The Wire actor Elba

J – athlete who won three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics but was later stripped of her medals after admitting to lying to federal investigators

K – R&B singer who was, in 2022, sentenced to 30 years behind bars; known for ”I Believe I Can Fly”

L – former NFL quarterback who, in 2012, pleaded guilty to felony burglary and drug possession in Montana and, in 2020, to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge; namesake of Nissan’s electric car model

M – Robben Island, anti-apartheid, Nobel Peace Prize

N – de facto ruler of Panama 1983–1989, who after dabbling in racketeering, drug smuggling and money laundering was sentenced to 40 years in prison

O – child actor (The Sixth Sense, A.I.) who later drove under influence, breaking a couple of bones

P – joined a war against Genoa, was imprisoned and dictated stories of his travels to a cellmate, becoming the first European to chronicle his experiences in China

Q – fellow Norwegians didn’t particularly appreciate his efforts to act in the “best interests” of Norway during WWII

R – scored two goals for Brazil in FIFA World Cup 2002 and five goals in a prison futsal tournament

S – Emperor of Ethiopia 1930–1974 who was eventually deposed, imprisoned and murdered, although the latter didn’t come to light until 20 years later

T – has plenty under his belt: heavyweight championships, convictions in rape, assault, possession of narcotics and DUI, and a spot of ear biting

U – Pope who went to Naples in 1383 and was allegedly imprisoned

V – Sex Pistols bassist who was arrested for stabbing his girlfriend Nancy to death with a knife she had bought him a few days previously

W – while it was still a thing, this Irish poet was prosecuted for gross indecency with other males

X – human rights activist who joined the Nation of Islam in prison and adopted his new name to symbolize his unknown African ancestral surname

Y – sentenced in 1934 of anti-Soviet agitation; his then toddler son would later dissolve USSR and rule Russia

Z – Mexican revolutionary who, in his youth, was arrested when taking part in a protest by peasants