Tattoo Designs
Tattoos have always been popular with criminals and gang members. They help gang members to identify each other and allow the gang to develop a reputation. Tattoos can also help criminals to earn respect and intimidate other people.
Self-expression is also another important consideration. Tattoos allow criminals to tell their life story, which can include time spent in prison and their specialist criminal skills. And in the days when tattoos were frowned upon, criminals saw them as a way to represent their disagreement with the normal rules of society.
In many cases, criminal tattoos are located on the face or the hands in an attempt to deter many middle class wannabes who aren't willing to go this far.
The Norteños take their name from the Spanish word for Northerners and consist of various Hispanic gangs based in north California. They are closely associated with the prison gang Nuestra Familia (our family). A tattoo of the number 14 is used to represent membership of these organizations.
The Sureños take their name from the Spanish word for Southerners and are made up from an association of hundreds of Hispanic street gangs based in south California. They have close connections with the Mexican Mafia prison gang.
Their gang tattoos are used to represent their colors (blue and gray) and the number 13. The thirteenth letter of the alphabet is M which represents the Mexican Mafia. The number thirteen may be designed using Arabic or Roman numerals or sometimes both. For example, 13, XIII or X3. The Mexican Mafia also makes use of a double M or a black hand in their tattoo designs.
On a similar theme many criminals wear tattoos that contain the number 13 1/2. This isn't related to either of the gangs above. Instead it is just a general design which means 12 jurors, 1 judge and half a chance of acquittal.
Many convicted criminals also have a clock tattoo on their upper arm. And as the clock doesn't have any hands it signifies that they are "doing time".
It can mean one of two things. In polite company where the criminal wants to make a good impression it stands for "Always Carry A Bible". But the rest of the time it stands for "All Coppers Are Bastards".
In the past, when young offenders were sent to detention centres, known as borstal, there was a simple tattoo design that became known as the borstal mark. The design was one small black dot which was placed between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand.
Prior to this it was common to see the borstal mark on the left cheekbone, but these tattoo designs are increasingly rare.
The borstal mark was usually acquired during the first period of imprisonment, and instead of representing a source of embarrassment become a status symbol proudly worn by many aspiring criminals.
These underworld tattoos can be split into three main groups.
Russian gang tattoos - When a new member joins a gang, the initiation tattoo is usually placed on the chest and often includes a rose, which is a symbol used by the Russian mafia. And to prevent impostors, wearing an unearned criminal tattoo is an offence punishable by death in the criminal underworld.
It has also been known for criminals or inmates to remove unauthorized tattoos from other people by cutting off the offending piece of flesh.
Russian prison tattoos - There designs carry a distinct blue tinge which makes them easy to identify. This is due to the makeshift ink that they use to create these tattoos in prison. If you've just eaten, you may want to avoid the next sentence. They create ink by burning something, such as the heel of a shoe and then mix the resulting soot with urine.
The finer details of these designs can often appear blurred due to a lack of proper tattoo equipment in prisons.
Russian punishment tattoos - Various designs are also used to tell the world when someone has broken the strict code of criminal conduct, for example, someone who fails to repay a loan or gambling debts.
These tattoos often consist of explicit sexual images, comments about the wearer's ethnicity, sexuality or being a police informer, which are intended to stigmatize and embarrass.
Alternatively, designs are placed on the forehead to warn other people about the wearer. This treatment is often reserved for members of certain political groups and people convicted of crimes that even criminals detest.
And if that punishment isn't harsh enough, people who receive a forcible tattoo still have to pay the artist for their work.
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Gang Tattoos - How To Identify Them
Self-expression is also another important consideration. Tattoos allow criminals to tell their life story, which can include time spent in prison and their specialist criminal skills. And in the days when tattoos were frowned upon, criminals saw them as a way to represent their disagreement with the normal rules of society.
In many cases, criminal tattoos are located on the face or the hands in an attempt to deter many middle class wannabes who aren't willing to go this far.
US Gang Tattoos
The largest prison gangs in California are the Norteños and the Sureños.The Norteños take their name from the Spanish word for Northerners and consist of various Hispanic gangs based in north California. They are closely associated with the prison gang Nuestra Familia (our family). A tattoo of the number 14 is used to represent membership of these organizations.
The Sureños take their name from the Spanish word for Southerners and are made up from an association of hundreds of Hispanic street gangs based in south California. They have close connections with the Mexican Mafia prison gang.
Their gang tattoos are used to represent their colors (blue and gray) and the number 13. The thirteenth letter of the alphabet is M which represents the Mexican Mafia. The number thirteen may be designed using Arabic or Roman numerals or sometimes both. For example, 13, XIII or X3. The Mexican Mafia also makes use of a double M or a black hand in their tattoo designs.
On a similar theme many criminals wear tattoos that contain the number 13 1/2. This isn't related to either of the gangs above. Instead it is just a general design which means 12 jurors, 1 judge and half a chance of acquittal.
Many convicted criminals also have a clock tattoo on their upper arm. And as the clock doesn't have any hands it signifies that they are "doing time".
UK Gang Tattoos
A.C.A.B. is a tattoo worn by many criminals in the United Kingdom, usually with one letter appearing between the knuckle and the first joint of each finger. However, in some cases the letters are missed out leaving just four dots.It can mean one of two things. In polite company where the criminal wants to make a good impression it stands for "Always Carry A Bible". But the rest of the time it stands for "All Coppers Are Bastards".
In the past, when young offenders were sent to detention centres, known as borstal, there was a simple tattoo design that became known as the borstal mark. The design was one small black dot which was placed between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand.
Prior to this it was common to see the borstal mark on the left cheekbone, but these tattoo designs are increasingly rare.
The borstal mark was usually acquired during the first period of imprisonment, and instead of representing a source of embarrassment become a status symbol proudly worn by many aspiring criminals.
Russian Criminal Tattoos
The history of Russian criminal tattoos is also well established and bloody. Over the years they have developed many complex meanings that allow people to discover significant amounts of information about someone just by reading their tattoos. Each symbol means something different as does the part of the body where the design is located.These underworld tattoos can be split into three main groups.
Russian gang tattoos - When a new member joins a gang, the initiation tattoo is usually placed on the chest and often includes a rose, which is a symbol used by the Russian mafia. And to prevent impostors, wearing an unearned criminal tattoo is an offence punishable by death in the criminal underworld.
It has also been known for criminals or inmates to remove unauthorized tattoos from other people by cutting off the offending piece of flesh.
Russian prison tattoos - There designs carry a distinct blue tinge which makes them easy to identify. This is due to the makeshift ink that they use to create these tattoos in prison. If you've just eaten, you may want to avoid the next sentence. They create ink by burning something, such as the heel of a shoe and then mix the resulting soot with urine.
The finer details of these designs can often appear blurred due to a lack of proper tattoo equipment in prisons.
Russian punishment tattoos - Various designs are also used to tell the world when someone has broken the strict code of criminal conduct, for example, someone who fails to repay a loan or gambling debts.
These tattoos often consist of explicit sexual images, comments about the wearer's ethnicity, sexuality or being a police informer, which are intended to stigmatize and embarrass.
Alternatively, designs are placed on the forehead to warn other people about the wearer. This treatment is often reserved for members of certain political groups and people convicted of crimes that even criminals detest.
And if that punishment isn't harsh enough, people who receive a forcible tattoo still have to pay the artist for their work.
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