Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US) to go to prison.

1866		Night Side of N.Y. 93: It had once been a noted underground hotel, kept by a negro, who has since gone up to the Island or to Sing Sing.
1872		G.P. Burnham Memoirs of the US Secret Service 119: His old chum declined to come to Adams’ aid, and he went up.
1883		Bristol Magpie 18 Jan. 6/1: You’d like to go up for a month? I’d thank yer honour to do it.
1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 16 Nov. 4/3: I got off moren once when I oughter gone up for a few moons.
1898		Binstead & Wells Pink ’Un and Pelican 242: The secret was out: the game went up — and so did ‘Jenkinson’.
1907		H. Lawson ‘Mateship’ in Lone Hand (Sydney) Sept. 512/1: Bill goes up for a ‘sixer’.
1915		Bulletin (Sydney) 5 Aug. 47/1: I did know who done it – he was a mate of mine; and what they wanted was to get my evidence ag’in him. Of course, when I wouldn’t give them the straight chat I went up with the other chap as a cobber of his.
1934		‘Maxwell Grant’ ‘Murder Marsh’ in Shadow Oct. 🌐 I’ve learned plenty, Luke, since you went up to the big house.
1940		F. Sargeson ‘I’ve Lost My Pal’ in A Man And His Wife (1944) 50: Of course George is going up for it.
1950		H. Ellson Tomboy (1952) 117: We killed a guy in another gang [...] Three of the boys went up for it.
1953		I. Hamilton Till Human Voices Wake Us 128: Some bird who [...] was going up for the first time.
1959		F. Norman in Encounter n.d. in Norman’s London (1969) 60: Well, I don’t know what you’re screaming about, because I’m a dead cert to get PD (preventive detention) the next time I go up.
1965		C. Himes Cotton Comes to Harlem (1967) 137: Punk, listen [...] You’re going up anyway. We got the proof.
1970		G.F. Newman Sir, You Bastard 242: The poor bitch was in Holloway waiting to go up.
2001		C. Stella Eddie’s World 12: ‘And he went up, what, five, six weeks ago?’ ‘For heavy shit’.

2. (Aus.) to be punished (in a non-custodial manner).

1905		‘Hugh McHugh’ You Can Search Me 14: Didn’t I go up against that horse game so hard that I shook the whole community [...] ?
1951		(con. 1941) E. Lambert Twenty Thousand Thieves 79: I got you out of that blue at Mersa Matruh, but you’ll have to go up this time.