Prison tattoos and their meaning
Prison tattooing is the practice of creating and displaying tattoos in a prison setting. They are often used to describe gang membership, prison status, family ties, spiritual beliefs, and are often used as a form of code and have hidden meanings. Tattooing is forbidden in most prisons and is therefore done in secret, with makeshift tattoo equipment. Within the expanding prison system, inmates and their guards take tattoos seriously. The tattoos that are obtained while locked up in prison have a special meaning both for the prisoners themselves and for those who are on the streets.
Tattoo methods in prison
There are two standard types of prison tattoo guns, the roulette and the relay. The relay gun is much better than the turntable and is now more widely used. An inmate breaks his most prized possession, a radio, and removes the transistor. Next, the thin copper wire that wraps around a screw that provides an automatic relay when turned on is removed. The inmate must somehow acquire the bristles of a maintenance wire brush and sharpen them to provide the needle. The cylinder is made from a quality mechanical pencil and the armature bar is made with a piece of flexible paddle band and a dime-sized magnet. Then the tattoo gun is powered by the transistor from another radio. So owning one of these tattoo “guns” is quite expensive and in prison, the “money” can be hard to come by.
Obviously, without this equipment, the ole pick and poke method with some kind of pin also works.
Prison Tattoo Ink Recipe
Get a metal container, it is best to cut it in half of the soda can, and put baby oil and cotton wool in the can. Next, you will need a flat piece of metal that can be placed over the opening of the can, without covering it. Burn the baby oil and cotton wool by allowing the smoke to hit the metal sheet and blacken it as darkly as possible. Then you will scrape off all the black powder and repeat. You want to use a credit card or something similar to do this, as razors and other metal scrapers can leave bits in the dust. Put your tattoo powder in a small container, a toothpaste cap is what I recommend, and fill the cap halfway. Then add a couple of drops of clear, odorless shampoo. Stir well. The entire ink should be the consistency of ballpoint inks, or maybe a little thicker. To dilute the ink, add shampoo and to thicken it, add more powder.
Some inmates will simply use the ink from a ballpoint pen. There are several methods of preparing an ink recipe, and all of them have probably been used at one time or another.
Due to the lack of proper equipment and sterile environments in the prison, tattoos in prison present health risks, such as HIV / AIDS and hepatitis. However, the prisoners are eerily aware of this and take all possible precautions given the conditions in which they operate.
Many prison inmates who do tattoos are very talented artists. Having quality tattoo skills is prison is a very lucrative skill to possess. Experienced tattoo artists in prison have a much better chance of making “money” than the inmate who is trying to sell drugs behind the scenes. They also earn the admirable respect of other inmates, as well as the prison officials themselves. Unlike other mind-blowing activities, such as gossip or gang-related stimulation, the tattoo artist occupies his mind with skin and art.
Some meanings of prison tattoos in North America
Three points arranged like a triangle – this pattern is most commonly found between the finger and thumb of the prisoner. The design means “my crazy life”, which means “my crazy life”.
Teardrop tattoo – this design is visible. Indicates that the user has killed someone or that the person had a friend murdered in prison.
Clover – this design is worn anywhere on the body and is often found on those belonging to the Aryan Brotherhood. In this case, the clover often includes the number 12 as well, with 1 for “A” and 2 for “B”.
Ace of spades – Worn anywhere on the body, this design is primarily worn by those who belong to the Aco Town or Asian Boyz gang. The A, which is often placed in the middle of the shovel, symbolizes the Asian, while the shovel symbolizes theft.
The number 13 – This tattoo indicates belonging to the Mara Salvatrucha 13 gang.
The number 14 – This tattoo indicates belonging to Our Family, which is a prison gang. This gang is affiliated with the Nortenos, a street gang.
Area codes – Many gang members use their neighborhood area code as a tattoo, although this may become out of date as area codes are changed.
Clock without hands – Most commonly placed on the upper arm, this tattoo symbolizes “making time”.
spiderweb – Usually found on the elbow, this tattoo is used by white supremacists to show that they have seriously injured or killed one of their “opponents”. The design is also commonly found in people who have been in prison.
Hands-free watch faces – Making time
Headstones with numbers – the years they were inside
Tombstones with numbers and RIP – mourning the death of a friend
Crying woman face – has someone outside waiting
SWP – supreme white power
100% pure – pure white or anglo
Cell window with sun or bird waiting to get out
Other countries like Russia, Australia, France, the UK, China and others have prisons with inmates wearing tattoos with significant meanings. In fact, Russia and its former republics have a very elaborate variety of tattoo meanings.
A very important point that prisoners consider while getting tattooed is that they get caught. If an inmate is caught getting a tattoo, he is subject to a 15-day solitary sentence. Being suspected of getting a tattoo, as perhaps indicated by reddening of the skin where a new tattoo has been inked, can still have repercussions, such as being charged. But hey, if you’re living life without the possibility of parole, does this really worry you that much?
The concept of prison tattoos is not modern. There is evidence to suggest that the prisoners were tattooed from Egyptian times. As with many of the tattoos that prisoners wear today, these tattoos also had significant meaning. For example, king or pyramid tattoos were worn by those who were very dangerous, such as assassins, top bosses, and masterminds.