Modern Prison Tattoos
Time period: 20th and 21st Century
There was an interesting story that appeared in the Daily Mirror in 1965 of a plastic surgeon who was travelling the UK to visit prisons and removing tattoo marks from prisoners to help them forget their criminal past. It was felt that by removing the tattoos this would help the inmates upon release to re-enter the community and live a life free of crime. Tattooing is actually illegal in prison today, but of course it still does take place and many talented artists work behind bars. However, if they are caught they are often sent to solitary confinement as punishment. Here are several of the meanings found on 21st century prison tattoos:
A cobweb represents a lengthy prison sentence as well as an inmate being trapped behind bars. This design can commonly be found around the elbow area, which in itself is a very painful part of the anatomy to have tattooed.
Teardrops are one of the most common prison tattoos and have different meanings, from murder to the passing of a loved one to a particularly lengthy sentence.
Dots – these are commonly found on the hand or close to the eye and can be in clusters of three or five. Three dots can indicate a gang lifestyle or Christianity’s Holy Trinity, whilst five dots relates to the time spent inside.
A clock or timepiece is a common tattoo found on prisoners, with the timepiece showing numbers but often no hands.
The making of prison tattoos has to be creative today and it’s interesting to note that the ingredients used for the tattoos, where improvisation is needed, are often linked with what has been used historically for the creation of this artwork. It’s unlikely that tattooing in prison will die out anytime soon.