{"id":2423,"date":"2019-02-27T08:00:52","date_gmt":"2019-02-27T14:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=2423"},"modified":"2019-02-26T16:42:59","modified_gmt":"2019-02-26T22:42:59","slug":"the-meaning-of-prison-tattoos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2019\/02\/27\/the-meaning-of-prison-tattoos\/","title":{"rendered":"The Meaning of Prison Tattoos"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo of a person standing outside a tattoo shop. Photo by Ralf Scherer, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tattoos can be important symbols in the underworld, but the exact meaning of these images are often a well-kept secret. Even the teardrop tattoo, considered the most popular emblem of prison culture, has contested meanings. While some consider that the <\/span>tear underneath the eye<\/span><\/a>\u00a0symbolizes the death of a loved one, others believe that it serves as a tally of the carriers\u2019 crimes. Beyond the actual meaning of their shapes and contours, prison tattoos serve several social functions in prison life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Studies usually describe how prisons can strip prisoners of different parts of their \u2018identity kit\u2019. At intake to prisons, people are fingerprinted, photographed, and assigned an identification number. Penal institutions also routinely strip prisoners of their possessions, clothes, and cultural signifiers in a forced process of personal defacement. To neutralize this process, prisoners gradually acquire a \u2018prison identity\u2019. Tattoos enable prisoners to consolidate their self-perception, embrace a new identity, and announce their commitment to \u2018convict\u2019 status.<\/h5>\n