Tattooing

Gang Tattoos

Before the advent of prison gangs, prison tattoos usually signified a generalized deviant subculture. Following the emergence of ethnic gang cultures in prison in the last half of the 20th century, the meanings of prison tattoos became much more complex. Gang tattoos usually indicate membership in subgroups of the prison and are frequently used as a secret language understood only by the initiated. In some instances, such tattoos can indicate a sequence of career moves within the gang organization. For instance, certain Hispanic gangs in California prisons [Page 948]have a strict hierarchical structure that mimics military rankings. A specific tattoo, recognized immediately by members of the gangs and others who have been socialized to the prison culture, illustrates each rank. Through these nonverbal body art expressions, convicts can tell a gang member's status in the gang, criminal specialty, and number of kills. For these convicts, tattoos are visual proof of a firm commitment to convict status and to the deviant self-identity.

Iconography

Scholars have not conducted extensive study of the iconography of prison tattoos in the United States, as has been done in some other countries, such as Russia. Yet a number of conventional tattoos—or “flash,” in the parlance of tattoo parlors—are common among U.S. prisoners. These include designs featuring eagles, panthers, crucifixes, hearts with women's or men's names, dragons, snakes, and skulls and crossbones. Convict and gang-related tattoos often have specific meanings. Tears under the left eye, for example, can symbolize either the number of murders committed or time served. Many prisoners of Mexican descent have tattoos of the Virgin of Guadalupe on their backs as a defense against sexual assaults. Prison gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood and their offshoots (e.g., the National White People's Socialist Party and Aryan Warriors) sport a variety of “white power” symbols, including the swastika. These tattoos bind gang members by ideology and kinship both in prison and after release.

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