You probably often see some inmates have tattoos on their body. The design varies such as a crown, a web, a writing, a gun, a flower and many more. When someone decides to have a tattoo and choose a design, of course the tattoo has meaning for them.
Talking about tattoos, you may want to know the most common prison tattoos and also their meanings. So, here is the information for you where we have collected the information about the top 10 most common prison tattoos and also their meanings. .
1. Five-Point Crown Tattoo
The five-point crown tattoo may be a tattoo that you probably often see in someone’s body, especially in inmates’ bodies. So, what does this tattoo mean? A five-point crown is the symbol of the Latin King gang. In the U.S., this gang is one of the biggest Hispanic gangs based in Chicago. You may wonder why there are 5 points in the crown? It is because the Latin Kings is an affiliate of the People Nation gang and the number five represents it. In a source, it is also explained that the five-point crown indicates allegiance, loyalty, and protection. Usually, the crown is also completed with the letters ALKN which stands for Almighty Latin Kings Nation.
For your information, in and out of prison, Latin Kings have a huge presence. In North and South America, this tattoo design is the most popular body art. Many of them have this tattoo on their neck, but some of them have it on their head by making them bald.
2. Cobweb Tattoo
A cobweb tattoo represents the length of spending the prisoner’s time in the prison. By living in a prison where they are trapped in the prison, it is like prey which is trapped by spiders. Usually, prisoners have this tattoo in their elbow which means that they have sat too long with their elbows so that there is a web on them. However, some of them have this tattoo on their neck.
If you see the web tattoo is colourful, it seems that the tattoo is not from the prison because a tattoo artist in prisons does not have access to colored ink.
For your information, this tattoo has a dark history where the web has roots in white supremacist movements where the murder of a minority is required before donning in ink.
3. Teardrops Tattoo
Have you seen a prisoner who has teardrops tattoo under their eyes? The meaning of teardrops tattoo varies. And even the FBI states that the one who knows the meaning behind the teardrops tattoo is only the tattoo wearer.
This tattoo can mean a prison sentence which is long. It can also mean that the wearer has committed murder and the number of the teardrops shows the number of murders that the wearer has committed. The filled teardrops, half-filled teardrops and empty teardrops may also have different meanings. The empty teardrops mean an attempted murder or there is one of the prisoner’s friends who was murdered and the prisoner wants to take revenge. If the teardrops are half-filled, it can mean an incomplete murder and if the teardrops are filled in, it can mean that a murder has been committed.
4. The Clock Without Hands Tattoo
A clock without hands tattoo is usually found on the prisoner’s wrist. The face of the clock is different where you may find it the face of a wall clock, a pocket watch or a grandfather clock. The meaning of this tattoo can symbolize that the time stands still or loses meaning when the prisoner is in the prison.
5. Three Dots Tattoo
Three dots tattoo is usually found in a prisoner’s hands or around their eyes. The meaning of this tattoo is “mi vida loca” or “my crazy life”. A source explains that this symbol is not associated with a certain gang, but it is associated with the lifestyle of the gang itself. However, according to another source, this symbol is associated with the Mexican mafia and it is considered as a mark of identification for the LA-based Surenos gang. Besides, this tattoo can also mean something religious such as representing Christianity’s holy trinity. Margo DeMello, a cultural anthropologist, states that the three dots may come from a French criminal tattoo which means mort aux vaches or “death to the cows” where cows here mean the police.
6. EWMN Tattoo
EWMN stands for Evil, Wicked, Mean, Nasty. This symbol is not associated with any gang. The letters only represent the general characteristics of some prisoners and probably the wearer wants to admit their crime or “own” it and they did not regret doing the crime.
7. Cross on the Chest Tattoo
Cross tattoo on the chest is often found in Russian prisons and it symbolizes a ‘Prince of Thieves’ where it is the highest rank which can be reached by a Russian convict and this Russian-born tattoo has spread to all prisons in the world.
8. A.C.A.B
Some British prisoners have this tattoo where it stands for “All Cops Are Bastards”. This tattoo is usually used by criminals who have clashed with the police or criminals who are not afraid of doing it. This tattoo can also mean a code where A.C.A.B for 1312 is for uttering their feelings to the police and they do not want to be so obvious. However, some people who regret having the tattoo claim that the meaning of this tattoo is “Always Carry A Bible.”
9. 1488
Usually, this tattoo is found in prisoners with white supremacist ties/ Nazi. The meaning of this tattoo is that 14 refers to the number of a quote of the Nazi leader David Lane which says, “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White Children”. And the 88 refers to H where this letter is the eighth letter of the alphabet and it symbolizes Heil Hitler.
10. AB (Aryan Brotherhood)
If you see a prisoner has an AB tattoo, it probably stands for Aryan Brotherhood. For your information, the Aryan Brotherhood is a gang of Caucasian males and they believe in the neo-Nazi ideology. Hitler is considered by them as their hero and they support the cause of white supremacy. The AB tattoo is iconic because it consists of a swastika, AB written in a gothic font, a Celtic knot or the number 1488. If you see someone has this tattoo, it is better for you to avoid the person because you may be in serious trouble.
For your information, the white supremacists gang is neo-Nazis and they believe that the white race is superior so that other races are not recognized by them. They can provoke other gangs in the street or in prisons so that they are considered dangerous.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
