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Danny Chung

Prof. Stanford

IHUM 280R

21 November 2015

A Light in the Cellblock: Aesthetics of the Modern Prison Tattoo

As the prison society in the United States continually grows and expands, the population

of those isolated within the confines of the walls of those facilities forges a greater sense of

culture unaware to the public view. Understandably, the norms behind bars are very much

unknown by the people who have not themselves experienced prison life. Much of what happens

remains a mystery to those without experience being incarcerated; hence the public perception of

active inmates remains what is seen through mainstream media and fictional literary and

cinematic narratives. Much of what is described of prison life by the popular culture—outside

prison culture—is portrayed as a reflection of the criminals behind the walls itself: violent,

sodomy-laden, negative, and often gruesome. The habit of illicitly tattooing among the inmates

has been the staple of this culture. Since the 1990’s, prison tattoo motifs have been gaining

popularity among the contemporary youth through portrayals by various icons such as Lil

Wayne, Fifty Cent, Wiz Khalifa, and the late Tupac Shakur. These tattoos, though, are still seen

in the eyes of many as a repulsive, vilifying symbol of the life wasted by the delinquencies of

their youths. The perception of prison tattoos, especially among the socially conservative, is that

they are symbols of discomfort as they represent a history of violence and career criminality

among its wearers. Yet, what many dissenters do not see is the intricacy, effort, and identity that

go behind each tattoo on the canvas of the inmate man. Each tattoo on the body of the prisoner

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expresses a sentiment that only the wearer will truly understand and the public can only

appreciate. Thus it is presumptuous for the ignorant to say that the wearers of these types of

tattoos are confused men seeking violence and havoc wherever they are. Rather than violent

individuals, these inmates and ex-convicts are embodiments of identity and artistic value. The

tattoos give these people a primary mode of self-expression from people who have lost much of

their autonomy. An understanding of this would lessen the social stigma that the public has of

the tattoos and the wearers of it. Through the specific motifs behind each prison-made tattoo,

representative of predominantly American-based prison gangs such as the Ñetas, Aryan

Brotherhood, Barrio Azteca, and Latin Kings, the tattoo designs of these gangs will come to

clarify the misconceptions retractors of this art have of the intimidatingly negative connotations

held of these tattoos.

The contemporary American public still misperceives inmate-made tattoos as objects of

regret and taboo. Since even the advent of mainstream Judeo-Christian philosophy, tattoos as a

whole were belittled and frowned upon as it would be a way of defacing one’s body. It is made

explicitly clear as it says in Leviticus 19:28, “Ye shall not… print any marks upon you” (LDS

KJV Bible). This was and still is a poignant opinion held by many who are socially conservative

as a means to repel the belief that tattoos are anything good or positive. In a religious

perspective, the conceited notions that tattoos are “immoral” or “pagan” reign supreme in the

minds of those opposed to them without recognizing the merit of performing such an art

(Kuwahara 195). In the opinions of such people, it is well to note that the stigma remains

inherently strong, even among wearers of tattoos, that 72% of male adults hide their tattoos from

visible sight (PRC par. 4). The labels of being “society’s rubbish” still imprinted deep in the

minds of so many discourage tattoo wearers from publicly displaying their tattoos (Thomas 159).

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In the instance of prison tattoos, they are almost immediately recognized as symbols of violence.

Unlike many conventional tattoos, which can range in symbolism from hearts, butterflies,

initials, or even animals of various kinds, prison tattoos can include a variety of sometimes

offensive references such as that of Adolf Hitler, skulls, scantily-clad women, and assault

weapons. These depictions are almost immediately perceived as a threat and a travesty to those

who see them. Connotations of fear and intimidation radiate from the symbols to the public who

do not understand the meanings behind such prison tattoos. As what much of the public, the

American conservative, perceive of these tattoos, it is important to know the history behind them

before jumping immediately to vilifying conclusions.

In addition to its social stigma, prison tattoos are also widely believed to cause a plethora

of health risks to the inmates themselves and possible consequential repercussions in prison

facilities that ban the practice. Due to the scarcity of items available for the practice itself,

inmates have to resort to nonconventional methods of creating ink and tattoo guns. With

components made of melted plastics such as pen caps and board game pieces for the tattoo, there

is a risk of skin irritation when it gets into the skin of the wearer (Dege). Because of which,

many prison tattoo artists have resorted to using less irritating media such as soot derived from

baby oil and shoe polish (Giang). Aside from the medium used for tattooing, the actual method

itself is often scrutinized for being unsterile and a vector for infectious disease to enter the tattoo

wearer. Without proper sanitizing methods, reports of wearers receiving blood borne viruses

(BBV) such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C become concerns

among prisoners looking to invest in the body art (Hellard 1). Many incidents of non-injecting

drug user (IDU) prisoners contracting the disease have become issues when it previously was not

the case (Hellard 1). However, even with the unclean conditions of a prison facility, the prison

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tattoo artists are aware of the risks that come with lack of sanitation. In the words of an

interviewed prison contact, “Leon Kingsley (pseudonym to protect identity),” he mentions that

the instruments prison tattooists use for tattooing, as rudimentary as they are, are sterilized with a

flame on the needle (Giang). Kingsley claims that the tattooists’ works he has seen “rarely ever

gets infected” due to this safety procedure (Giang). Apart from the detriment to physical health,

because prison tattooing is considered illegal in a vast majority of prisons around the world, it

brings with it various in-prison consequences to the artist. Although the wearer himself is not

punished, the artist, if discovered that a tattoo gun is in his possession, can be sentenced from

“90-180 days locked up in a cell block” to solitary confinement (Dege). Due to the adverse

psychological effects that can come from such consequences, many prisons discourage the

practice. The result is the restriction of many inmates from expressing themselves in an

environment which already bars them from many of the liberties of a civilian.

Since prehistory, body-marking has played a definite role in human society. Predating

Judeo-Christian religion by several millennia, the first discovered tattooed body came from a

mummified body of a prehistoric warrior named Otzi. At 5,300 years old, the body had a total of

sixty-one tattoos, notably a cruciform design1 behind the right knee (Pilny par. 1). As the

symbolism is unknown, the tattoos were made of a composition of ash (soot) and sulfur inserted

into the skin (Pabst 2). From then on, depictions of tattoos were discovered on ancient

Mesopotamian ceramics representing an innate sense of veneration and beauty (Thomas 33).

Ironically in medieval Europe, in order to remember certain Christian pilgrimages, people would

often mark themselves with symbols of remembrance (Thomas 148-149). Tattoos also had its

role in Feudal Asia as markers denoting criminals and slaves (Thomas 139). With much of

global society up until the modern era, tattoos served many purposes for many different groups

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of people. When the early forms of colonization and globalization came about in the 1770’s

European sailors adopted the Polynesian cultural idea of tattooing2 and made it their own, giving

birth to the modern tattooing technique seen in mainstream society today (Thomas 152). The

cross-cultural interaction gave rise to much a mixed feelings among the peers of these European

sailors which almost promptly gave rise to negative reactions. The connotations of desolation,

poverty, and crudeness lingered in the minds of most middle to upper-class Europeans for a few

more hundred years and well into contemporary society.

Ever since the culture of tattooing disseminated from Polynesia to the world, the plebian

society’s use of tattooing to forge an unalienable identity among them has become a source of

solace to those isolated in the confines of prison. Ever since the historic connection of tattoos

with the vulgar, it has been adopted by many inmates since the discovery from the Polynesian

peoples. With its improperness collecting the attention of governments and prison officials, they

too became outlawed in United States prison systems. While in these prisons, the inmates

themselves are deprived of conventional materials to make professional tattoos, so many of the

instruments used were makeshift3. In modern prison systems, the tattoos received by inmates

were made from instruments ranging in composition but generally with pens, simple motors,

toothbrushes, and paperclips (Blackman). Due to the lack of dyed ink, it was also made in a

makeshift manner—often was the case, the liquid consisted of melted plastics derived from

checker pieces and pen caps (Dege). For the sake of comfort and cleanliness, though, inmates

generally preferred the use of soot from burnt baby oil4 and paper ashes as the medium to create

the tattoos (Dege). Limited to a monochromatic color scheme, the inmate tattoo artist usually

stuck with simple yet profound designs that would serve as a reminder to the fellow prisoner of

his sentence in the facility. The symbols varied among inmates according to race and gang

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affiliation, but some common motifs included the teardrops, cobweb and the clock found on

many of the prisoner’s persons. The teardrop tattoo5, immortalized by many popular icons, is a

simple representation of a variety of events of an inmate’s life. Depending on the area of where

the inmate is, the teardrop generally represents “dead homies” in which he has lost over the

course of his life (CorrectionsOne). Sometimes, it can represent jailtime sentences of the

wearers (CorrectionsOne). Due to the ease of its creation and the near-universal representation

behind it that every seasoned inmate could relate to, it has become the posterchild of prison

tattoos. The next two represents a lengthy sentence of the inmate—similar to the teardrop’s

latter connotation— in different ways: the clock6 is generally tattooed without the hands, which

connotes to the audience an absence of time while in prison (CorrectionsOne). The cobweb7,

though, signifies a general inactivity in society and being trapped in the correctional system itself

(CorrectionsOne).

Midst the surmounting opposition toward the art form, tattoos—prison tattoos especially

—are a beneficial outlet where inmates can express themselves in an environment where they

have no control over. One of the most essential needs of man is to feel like he has a source of

identity through his self. A sense of appreciation with oneself is essential for the flourishing of

man in the society where he dwells. Hence, it can be said that for anyone, civilian and inmate

alike, “the body is a direct locus of social control” (Kuwahara 3). Like inmates of contemporary

society, the sailors of the eighteenth century “were more or less homeless and had little or no

opportunity to shape an intimate environment of objects and relationships that they could call

their own, one that defined them as a person” (Thomas 152). Deprived from the items and

memories that made the sailor who he was, such as family, friends, society, hobbies, &c., the

discovery of tattoos from Polynesia served as that medium that the sailors so yearned for in order

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to forge identities all over their bodies like the indigenous peoples the sailors encountered. To

these forlorn Europeans, tattooing represented “the medium of their memories” (Thomas 156).

Poor and oppressed in poverty, the sailors knew that the only thing in which they knew they

wholly possessed was their own bodies. Through which, they used it to paint who they were in

order to forge that identity that they longed. The circumstances in which the sailors came from

served as a reminder of the tribulation they faced and the tattoos on their bodies was an “effort to

affirm themselves and their lives against the odds” (Thomas 156). For a prison inmate, much of

the same conditions as these eighteenth-century sailors existed. An inmate’s life is dictated by

the schedules and routines of the prison schedule and of the whim of the prison guards. An

inmate, thus, is severely restricted from being whom he feels comfortable with. With a loss of

self, an inmate has three choices to choose while serving his sentence: assimilate with the prison

system; rebel against it in order to solidify who he is; or to rid his existence altogether. The

difficulties of prison life paved the way for the practice of tattooing to flourish, because it

imprinted a permanent sense of self into the wearer. Tattoos not only served as a vessel of

memories for the inmate but also yielded in his self-acceptance as well. As a prisoner stated,

“[one] can jail my body, but you can’t control it; you can put me in solitary as punishment, but

you can’t take my tattoos away from me,” it affirms the fact that tattoos, even with all of its

possible repercussions, represents to the inmate that even under insurmountable odds, it shows

ultimately that there are still ways to retain one’s dignity (Olguin 174). The prison tattoo,

although it can be seen as that symbol of violence, allows the inmate to “link the self, the senses

and the social and the political” with the values and identity he truly cherishes (Thomas 7). The

mingling with others holding similar ideals then turns into a camaraderie—this develops a

symbiotic relationship of safety, protection, and security among the more vulnerable of the

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inmates. Ultimately, tattoos give the inmate a “concept of exclusion and inclusion” which they

never previously had in prison (Demello 11).

The tattoos of the Ñetas gang give its members their Puerto Rican identities and the

aspirations they have as the people they are. Originally hailing from Puerto Rico but now found

predominantly throughout United States penitentiaries, they are identified by tattoos of hands

crossing the index and middle fingers fettered outside a brick-laid compound.8 The symbolism

behind the hand signal represents “togetherness and loyalty” as is the general theme of the gang

(Jones). As the gang itself has gone through much tumult, the tattoo serves as a reminder of the

establishment of the gang itself in the 1970’s to “stop the violence of and protect its Puerto Rican

inmates” (Jones). Another emblem of the gang is that of the letter ‘N’ circled by a heart.9

Simplistic in design, it also serves its purpose to display loyalty and remember the purpose of the

group.

The tattoos found on the Aryan Brotherhood inmate can come in a variety of different

designs called ‘Alice Bakers,’10 but symbolize the unified purpose of philadelphic fellowship

(CorrectionsOne). Hailing its roots in California and one of the only gangs with an all-white

male membership, its symbols are but not limited to: ‘AB’ initials, swastikas, sig runes (SS), and

the ‘666’ number (Jones). Ironically, their inclusion of shamrocks11 in their designs display the

Irish roots of its founders, whom Adolf Hitler, the figure of their veneration, reviled. Still, the

display of such figures tattooed across their bodies display ethnic pride among the white inmates

and for much of the same reasons as the Netas, outwardly displays membership, solidarity, and

camaraderie—they too had a history of overcoming victimization.

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Tying roots to its indigenous Mexican heritage and its El Paso startup, the Barrio

Azteca’s use of Aztec-themed tattoos distinguish themselves from the other inmates. Although

its history did not start through humble beginnings like the previous two gangs, the tattoos in

which they carry do represent a sense of patriotism held by its members. As most of the group

come from Mexican provinces with a sizeable population of indigenous peoples, it is important

to the membership that they know who they are and who they represent. The large, pectoral

displays show ancient Aztec (jaguar) warriors12 which to them represents the fortitude and

willingness to go into battle on behalf of loyalty for the group (Valdemar).

Found both in the prisons walls and out on the street, the Latin Kings are a Chicago-

based gang known for its crown motifs in most all of their tattoo designs. The gang originally

gained prominence outside of prison through the cause of preserving Latino culture from

assimilation into white American society since the 1930’s (segag.org). Not only that, the

constant violence compelled this Latino population in the greater Chicago area to form together

into a cohesive body in order to protect themselves from violence caused by other racial groups

around them (segag.org). Thus, they are now considered the largest Latino gang in America,

branching into prisons all across the country (CorrectionsOne). The notoriety is displayed

through the crowns in which the members tattoo themselves with. Often, it is worn by an animal

such as a bulldog or a lion13 to display superiority over other gangs in which they complete

against (segag.org). Of course, notoriety can play a role in the recognition of the gang members

among other gangs, the tattoos also represent the triumph over adversity in which the members

of the gang had for its success. It connotes sacrifice, which its members have had extensive

experience in.

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Through the examples of four different United States prison gangs, the tattoos each

organization bears connote something symbolic rather than something confrontational. Each

tattoo adds to a collective movement of prison inmates to display their identities and confirm

their self-worth. A body is the only thing an inmate has control over and so it is used as a canvas

to paint a picture of whom he is to display to the world behind bars. As the conservative among

the popular public may still hold onto the bitter notion that these monochromatic designs are

simply barbaric symbols, the countless hours spent on the creations of these tattoos confirm

otherwise. The violence of a prison gang comes not from the tattoos themselves, but from the

gang as a whole. Hence, it is the object, or the tattoo that should be admired and not the gang

itself. Yet, if one gains an understanding of the meaning behind each tattoo of the inmate, it will

come to show the audience that even the violence or the negative connotations held of the wearer

or the gang it is affiliated with has a sympathetic reason behind it. It can truly be said that

aesthetics can be found in all walks of life, including among the contained.

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Works Cited

Arredondo, David. ""Convicted Artist Worldwide Social Art Network"" PRISON TATTOOS. N.p., 20 Dec. 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. http://www.convictedartist.com/prison_tattoos.html

Blackman, Jeremy, and Annmarie Timmins. "N.H.’s Brotherhood of White Warriors Part 2: Growth." Concord Monitor 9 Dec. 2013: n. pag. ConcordMonitor.com. 8 Dec. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2015. http :// www.concordmonitor.com/home/9644993-95/nhs- brotherhood-of-white-warriors-part-2-growth

CorrectionsOne. "15 Prison Tattoos and Their Meanings." CorrectionsOne.com. CorrectionsOne, 4 Sept. 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. http://www.correctionsone.com/corrections/articles/7527475-15-prison-tattoos-and-their-meanings/

Demello, Margo. "The Convict Body: Tattooing Among Male American Prisoners." Anthropology Today 9.6 (1993): 10-13. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.

Legg, Dege. "Longtime Jailhouse Tattoo Artist Explains the Business of Incarcerated Skin." San Antonio Current. San Antonio Current, 2 Aug. 2011. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. http://www.sacurrent.com/sanantonio/longtime-jailhouse-tattoo-artist-explains-the-business-of-incarcerated-skin/Content?oid=2242278

Leviticus. LDS Edition of the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2013. Print.

Giang, Vivian. "An Inmate Sneaked Us Photos From A Secret Prison Tattoo Parlor." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 18 July 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. http://www.businessinsider.com/inmate-shows-us-what-its-like-to-get-a-tattoo-in-prison-2012-7

Hellard, Margaret E., C.K. Aitken, and J.S. Hocking. "Tattooing in Prisons—Not Such a Pretty Picture." American Journal of Infection Control 35.7 (2007): 477-80. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17765561, http://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553%2806%2901182-5/fulltext

"Information on Latin Kings and Queens Gang." Combatting the Rise in Violent Youth and Gang Activities. Southeastern Connecticut Gang Activities Group, 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2015. http://www.segag.org/ganginfo/frlkings.html

Jones, Julie L. "Major Prison Gangs." Dc.state.fl.us. Florida Department of Corrections, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/prison.html

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Kuwahara, Makiko. Tattoo: An Anthropology. Oxford: Berg, 2005. Print.

M.A. Pabst, I. Letofsky-Papst, E. Bock, M. Moser, L. Dorfer, E. Egarter-Vigl, and F. Hofer. "The Tattoos of the Tyrolean Iceman: A Light Microscopical, Ultrastructural and Element Analytical Study." Journal of Archaeological Science 36.10 (2009): 2335-2341. Web.

"Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change." Pew Research Center: Social & Demographic Trends. Pew Research Center, 24 Feb. 2010. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/02/24/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change/

Olguin, B.V. “Tattoos, Abjection, and the Political Unconscious: Toward a Semiotics of the Pinto Visual Vernacular’, Cultural Critique, 37: 159-213. 1997. Web. 7 December 2015.

Pilny, Christopher. "Scan Finds New Tattoos on 5300-year-old Iceman." Redorbit.com. Red Orbit, 22 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113319184/scan-finds-new-tattoos-on-5300-year-old-iceman-012215/

Samadelli, Marco, Marcello Melis, Matteo Miccoli, Eduard Egarter Vigl, and Albert R. Zink. "Complete Mapping of the Tattoos of the 5300-year-old Tyrolean Iceman." Journal of Cultural Heritage 16.5 (2015): 753-58. Web.

Thomas, Nicholas. Body Art. London: Thames & Hudson, 2014. Print.

Valdemar, Richard. "Knocking Down Barrio Azteca." Gangs Blog. Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine, 27 Dec. 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2015. http://www.policemag.com/blog/gangs/story/2011/12/a-closer-look-at-barrio-azteca.aspx

Wahlstedt, Eero. Tattoos and Criminality: A study on the origins and uses of tattoos in criminal subcultures. Thesis. The European University at Saint-Petersburg. 2010. Web.

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Pictures Cited:

1Otzi: http://www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/cross-shaped-tattoo-on-otzi-knee.jpg?itok=db7COnDC

2Marquesan Tattoo: http://slodive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/full-body-tattoos/aztec-tattoo-on-full-body.jpg

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3Prison Tattoo Instrument: http://www.concordmonitor.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=0tRRn3qi3JB2IOtiY6LgH8$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYuzOtZVCknyESIwa9zq$2gvWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_CryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg

4Prison Tattoo Ink Base: http://pad1.whstatic.com/images/thumb/8/83/Create-Prison-Tattoo-Ink-Step-8.jpg/670px-Create-Prison-Tattoo-Ink-Step-8.jpg

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5Lil Wayne Teardrop Tattoo: http://cdn.mademan.com/wp-content/uploads/gallery/10-tattoos-you-should-never-ever-get/lil-wayne-tear-drop-tattoo.jpg

6Clock Tattoo: http://police-praetorian.netdna-ssl.com/nohandsclock.jpg

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7Cobweb Tattoo: http://police-praetorian.netdna-ssl.com/cobweb.jpg

8Neta Hand Tattoo: http://www.segag.org/ganginfo/images/neta.gif

9Neta ‘N’ Tattoo: http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/images/p-neta2.jpg

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10‘Alice Baker’ Tattoo: http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/1ab12025358499611a142515fcd91bc1d04a2421/c=204-0-1704-2000&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/JacksonMS/2014/10/03/tcl-5fb2sy40di01ict8tjeaoriginal.jpg

11Shamrock Tattoo (NOTE: colored tattoos are generally not made in prison): http://img.izismile.com/img/img6/20130802/640/the_meaning_behind_various_prison_tattoos_640_08.jpg

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12Aztec Warrior Tattoo: http://www.wgal.com/image/view/-/10227406/medRes/2/-/maxh/358/maxw/538/-/moeg43/-/BA-jpg.png

14Lion Tattoo: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a9/99/be/a999be2428451f4c7d4d2d587e7621a7.jpg