Criminal tattoo

Criminal tattoos are classified in different ways. The meaning and histories of criminal tattoos vary from country to country, and they are commonly assumed to be associated with gang membership. They could also be a record of the wearer's personal history—such as their skills, specialties, accomplishments, incarceration, world view and/or means of personal expression. Tattoos have been empirically associated with deviance, personality disorders, and criminality. There is no direct correlation between tattoos and criminals, but we can observe the developed history of tattoos and their meanings in countries such as Australia, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States.
The art of tattooing dates back to 8000 BC when it was used as a means of identification amongst different cultures. Ancient Greek and Roman histories, as well as ancient Japanese and Chinese histories possess a record of criminality being associated with tattoos, but it was not until the 16th to 18th century that this notion became more prevalent in other parts of the world. Over time, tattooing began to be used to mark prisoners and those who committed crimes, so law enforcement would be able to monitor those who disrupted and caused harm to communities. As a means of tracking criminals, noting a person's tattoos became an efficient way to document them. It provided a unique descriptor that set a criminal apart from others.
Rebels and lawless individuals started to mark themselves with tattoos to signify their actions which they took pride in or identified with; this could be acts of rebellion, crimes, personal beliefs, and commitment to a certain group. Convicts had knowledge of their tattoos being used to exercise more control over them, but the rebellious, individuality of tattoos proved to be more important.
Prisoners who were transported from Britain to Australian penal colonies between 1787 and 1867 were sometimes tattooed with marks intended to signify disgrace, for example, D for deserter. Prisoners often modified these tattoos to conceal the original design or to express wry or rebellious messages. A common prison tattoo in Australia is 'A.C.A.C.' - the initials to a derogatory phrase regarding cops.
In France, five dots tattoo resembling the dots on a dice, placed on the hand between index finger and thumb are found on prison inmates. This tattoo represents the individual between the four walls of the prison cell (un homme entre quatre murs—a man between four walls); this also has the same meaning in Russia, Germany and Spain.
Tattoos of three dots on the hand mean "death to cops" (mort aux vaches / flics / poulets / keufs), also used in Germany, "nichts sehen, nichts hören, nichts sagen" ("see/hear/say nothing"= no snitch/ing.)
A single dot on the cheek usually means the wearer is a pimp (point des maquereaux).
A stick figure holding a trident is also a common French prison tattoo.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Italy implemented the Bertillonage system as a means to identify criminals; this method was used to also target anyone who was a threat to social order and was deemed "suspicious".
Tattoos were not only seen on criminals but it was viewed as a common trait amongst criminals within the Bertillonage system. People with tattoos were set apart from others, and it was used as evidence that they were to be seen as different in the general public. This idea was applied to perceiving someone's psyche and deducing if they are biologically inclined to criminal behavior, as higher pain tolerance, primal nature, and shameless attitudes were associated with a predisposition towards criminal behavior.
Specific, identifiable tattoos are seen within organized crime. "La Stidda," a Mafia-style criminal organization in Sicily, is known for using star tattoos to identify members. This small, five-point star is called a stiddari and is typically placed between the thumb and index finger on the right hand.
The Edo period in Japan exemplified the movement for internal peace within the country. Tattoos started to be used to mark those who committed crimes, which led to the association of tattoos with criminals. The Meiji restoration period followed the Edo period; Japan aimed to be viewed as more civilized during this time, so tattooing began to be considered barbaric and was outlawed throughout the country.
Yakuza, the organized crime syndicate of Japan, dates back to the 17th century and maintains a strong loyalty. A form of committing is by embracing tattoos, which make them identifiable within the gang and to the public.
The Yakuza's tattoos cover large areas of the body. The tattoos could cover arms, chest, back, and legs, but may not be visible when wearing traditional Japanese garments, such as a kimono, due to the specific placement. As a member of the Yakuza, enduring the painful process of tattooing was viewed as a declaration of loyalty and courage. Modern yakuza tattoos, with common symbols and visual motifs, are noted for their similarity to current Western tattoo styles. Current Yakuza have full-body tattoos, typically inked in secret by tattoo artists associated with clans. Due to a clear association between tattoo artistry and crime, the practice was shortly banned following the Meiji restoration period. During the US occupation after World War II, this law was repealed.
Because of the association of the Yakuza with tattoos, the stigmatization of tattoos in Japan has become a part of their cultural norm. As the public grew more knowledgeable about criminal activity, the portrayal of gangs became more common in popular films, which reinforced the connection between tattoos and suspected criminal behavior. Although Yakuza membership declined after the Anti-Organized Crime Law was enacted in 1991 and enforced in 1992, the gang is still active. As a means of avoiding interactions with gang members in public and the history of the association, people with tattoos, regardless of gang affiliation, are not permitted to enter a number of establishments due to societal standards and expectations.
Russian criminal tattoos have a complex system of symbols that can give quite detailed information about the wearer. Not only do the symbols carry meaning, but the area of the body on which they are placed may be meaningful too. The initiation tattoo of a new gang member is usually placed on the chest and may incorporate a rose. A rose on the chest is also used within the Russian mafia. Wearing false or unearned tattoos is punishable in the criminal underworld, usually by removal of the tattoo, followed by beatings and sometimes rape, or even murder. Tattoos can be removed (voluntarily, in the case of loss of rank, new affiliation, "lifestyle" change, etc.) by bandaging magnesium powder onto the surface of the skin, which dissolves the skin bearing the marks with painful caustic burns. This powder is gained by filing "light alloy," e.g., lawnmower casing and is a jailhouse commodity.
"As Russia's leading expert on tattoo iconography, Mr. Arkady Bronnikov can tell the prisoner's story from looking at the designs on his body. The huge spider in a web that is drawn on his skull reveals, in prison tattoo code, that he is a drug addict. Also, he is a repeat offender: The onion domes of a Russian church fan across his shoulder blades, each of the seven domes representing a different stay in prison. Above the church, across the back of his neck, the convict has stenciled, in Russian, "Not just anyone can hold his head this high."... "The more tattoos a convict gets, the more sentences he has served, the more respect he gets in prison," says Mr. Bronnikov. "The tattoos show that he isn't afraid of pain."
Tattoos made in a Russian prison often have a distinct bluish color (due to being made with ink from a ballpoint pen) and usually appear somewhat blurred because of the lack of instruments to draw fine lines. The ink is often created from burning the heel of a shoe and mixing the soot with urine, and injected into the skin utilizing a sharpened guitar string attached to an electric shaver.
"In [Russian] prison, the ink for tattoos was manufactured from molten rubber mixed with water and sugar. Artists used sewing needles sharpened on concrete cell floors. Sometimes, portraits of Stalin and Lenin--with or without horns--were in fashion, sometimes monasteries and medieval knights. Occasionally, caricatures of Communists with pig snouts or correctional officers in wolf guise were the rage. Maps of the gulag system, with Russia, portrayed as a giant prison camp, might be etched across someone's back. Crucifixion scenes were popular. Ronald Reagan was even a subject, according to a Russian dictionary of prison slang (Fenya)."
In addition to voluntary tattooing, tattoos are used to stigmatize and punish individuals within the criminal society. These tattoos may be placed on an individual who fails to pay debts in card games, or otherwise breaks the criminal code, and often have very blatant sexual images, embarrassing the wearer. Tattoos on the forehead are sometimes forcibly applied, and designed both to humiliate the bearer and warn others about him or her. They frequently consist of slurs about the bearer's ethnicity, sexual orientation, or perceived cooperation with the prison authorities. They can indicate that the holder is a member of a political group considered offensive by other prisoners (e.g., Vlasovite), or has been convicted of a crime (such as child rape) that is disapproved of by other criminals. They can also advertise that the bearer is "downcast", or of the lowest social caste in prison, usually used for the sexual gratification of higher-ranked inmates. Voluntary facial tattoos signify that the bearer does not expect to be released back into normal society within his lifetime, and will usually consist of tattoos on the eyelids of messages such as "Don't Wake Me Up." They are managed by inserting a metal spoon under the eyelid, so the tattoo needle does not pierce the eye.
Tattoos that consist of political or anti-authoritarian statements are known as "grins". They are often tattooed on the stomach of a thief in law, as a means of acquiring status in the criminal community. A Russian criminologist, Yuri Dubyagin, has claimed that, during the Soviet era, there existed "secret orders" that an anti-government tattoo must be "destroyed surgically", and that this procedure was usually fatal. Tattoos of the portraits of Soviet leaders like Lenin and Stalin were often applied on the chest due to a belief that firing squads were forbidden to shoot at the leaders' pictures.
N. Banerjee wrote in 1992 for The Wall Street Journal about tattoos in Russian prisons:
Common body tattoos and their significance (these tattoos are most characteristic of the Old Regime when the Vory V Zakone was more structured in prisons):
Tattoos can commonly be found on those related to a gang, as they represent pride in their membership. The symbols and typefaces used will vary and can indicate which gang one may belong to; the location of the tattoo is also notable, as it indicates the level of exposure and potential identification one may want to have in the general public.
One of the most well-known criminal tattoos is the teardrop tattoo. This is more symbolic of criminal activity among West Coast gangs where a teardrop tattoo underneath the eye can indicate whether an individual committed murder or attempted murder. Other meanings of this tattoo are indicating time spent in prison or the loss of a loved one associated with a gang.
A common tattoo in American prisons for Hispanic inmates is four dots or three dots. The dots represent that you have earned your keep in your gang. The three dots would represent the 13 of the southern gangs and the same for the northern gangs with four dots :: for 14. Geographic location is commonly referred to, so another identifiable tattoo is an area code (Ex. 213 would represent Los Angeles). Hispanic gangs have a trend of using old English script and incorporating religious themes in their tattoos, as a substantial portion of members and their families are Catholic. Their tattoos are frequently larger and easily visible.
Markers of the Aryan Brotherhood, a white Neo-Nazi prison gang include but are not limited to the letters AB, Celtic imagery, and the number 666. Themes of racism are evident in Aryan Brotherhood gang tattoos through white supremacist language and Nazi references.
In the United States, the tattooing of criminals increased in the 1930s, and this could be attributed to tattooing in prisons. Although tattooing is highly prohibited in U.S. prisons, inmates take part and accept the disciplinary action often taken. Studies have shown that inmates would receive tattoos while serving their sentence are more extroverted; they have a sense of belonging and embrace being a prisoner. This trait is coupled with a lack of self-discipline.
Since tattooing in prison is illegal in many jurisdictions, the inmates do not have the proper equipment necessary for the practice. This forces inmates to find ways to create their own tattooing devices out of their belongings. The ink used to create the tattoo requires a certain quality to appear correctly. Inmates can acquire ink a number of ways: street ink from visits or corrections officers or it could be created with a few components. Ink could be made with water, isopropyl alcohol, and black soot. Improvising meant burning various materials to acquire the soot and ingredients containing alcohol such as mouthwash. Improvised tattooing equipment has been assembled from materials such as mechanical pencils, Bic pens, radio transistors, staples, paper clips, or guitar strings.
Certain tattoo designs have developed recognized coded meanings. The code systems can be quite complex, and because of the nature of what they encode, the designs of criminal tattoos are not widely recognized as such to outsiders. Coded prison tattoos commonly found in North America:
Forced and enslaved prostitutes are often tattooed or branded with a mark of their pimps. Women and girls being forced into prostitution against their will may have their pimps' name or gang symbol inked or branded with a hot iron on their skin. In some organizations involved with the trafficking of women and girls, like the mafias, nearly all prostitutes are marked. Some pimps and organizations use their name or well-known logo, while others use secret signs. In the past, the branding mark was usually small, sometimes hidden between the labia minora. Today, some pimps write their names in big letters all upon the body of the victim.
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