Prison Tattoos – What Do They Mean?

Prison tattoos speak a language of their own, subtle and puzzling, not very easy to decode by the outsiders. A prisoner's tattoo gives valuable information about who he is, why was he doing time and where. In prisons, tattooing is more than an art form: it is a real business, in many cases sponsored by the governments. To make sure that no infections spread, prisons hand out kits for sterilizing needles, and the tattooing takes place under the supervision of a guard.

To decode the meaning of a prison tattoo is a valuable tool when dealing with prison convicts. Such tattoos could either be a code for what the prisoner is doing time for, or can show gang affiliation, ideology and personal beliefs. Normally jail tattooers are not allowed to design band and xenophobic tattoos, but to decode prison tats is not as easy as one may believe. Many such tattoos look inoffensive, but their meaning can be hidden in the symbolic of a number. H is the 8th letter of the alphabet, so if a prisoner has an 88 tattooed somewhere, this can be read as HH – short for Heil Hitler. Not very innocent after all.

Prisoners have some standard designs for tattoos. For example spider webs on the shoulders mean doing time while tombstones with numbers mean how many years the prisoner spent in a penitentiary. Another common tattoo theme is the crying face, meaning that the prisoner has someone on the outside waiting. Joint tats – slang for tattoos in prisons, are usually blue, because blue is the color of the ink commonly used by the jail tattooers. The prisoner tattoos can carry slogans such as "born to die", "born to loose", "born to be free" or "I care for nothing". Some of the most popular tattoo themes in prisons are the cross, the skull, the bullet wound, the spider and its web, the spade, roses, diamonds and the list could go on.

 

Add To Favorites