Prison tattoos have a long history and their various meanings are hard for the average person to recognize.

Although the vast majority of  the tattoo community have never seen the inside of a prison, there is a history around prison tattoos which link several designs to the prison system. Within the prison different groups may be represented by different prison tattoos – and the really confusing part is that similar prison tattoos can mean radically different things to different people.

As an example, a spider web tattoo,  on one’s arm, can mean a number of things. Frequently these prison tattoos represent that the bearer is stuck in time, standing still as life goes on outside. Another meaning of this prison tattoo, is that the bearer has a drug addiction. Additionally, it is a popular tattoo among members of the extreme racist Aryan Brotherhood. A fellow white supremacist gang, the Aryan Circle, often have prison tattoos bearing the number 13 (“A” being the first letter of the alphabet and “C” being the third).  The number 13 is also worn by some Hispanic gangs, thus creating some confusion.

Another example of prison tattoos, which represent the violence often encountered on the inside, is the teardrop tattoo. Most often this tattoo means that the person bearing it has killed someone. More than one teardrop tattoo beneath their eye means they have killed more than once.  An empty tear can mean an unsuccessful murder attempt, or that a friend has been murdered. A tear that is full at the bottom and empty at the top means that the death of a friend or loved one has been avenged. In Australian prisons, teardrop tattoos are often forced on convicted child molesters.

It is important to remember that no matter how cool your tattoo may look to you, there may be someone to whom it has a totally meaning. This doesn’t mean that everyone with a spider web tattoo is a racist, and not everyone with a  number 13 tattoo is a gang member. For reference the number 13 is also considered to be a symbol of bad luck.

So know that you know more about prison tattoos hopefully it will help you put a little more thought into choosing your tattoo designs.

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