Prison tattoos and their meaning. Do you know what a prison tattoo means?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

The fashion for decorating your body with tattoos today has spread to all sectors of society, while earlier it was an advantage for people in the criminal world or the world of prisoners. This article will reveal the topic "Prison tattoos and their meaning".

A bit of history

It is worth saying a few words about the world of prisoners and their foundations. So, in Russia, this is actually the second government, which, of course, is an anti-system, an opponent of the current managers of the country. It will be interesting that this alignment of things exists only in two other countries - Papua New Guinea and South Africa. As for Russia, it dates back to the 18th century, when the criminal hierarchy was formed in response to the restoration of the Prussian bureaucratic system. So, in order to be different and have their own designations, the thieves and the criminal world came up with their own language, which they borrowed partly from small merchants - ofenes, and partly from the Jews, who at that time were also an oppressed people. And, of course, a place in the criminal hierarchy of anya prisoner is defined by his tattoo.

Types of tattoos

Studying prison tattoos and their meaning, it is worth saying that they are all divided into three main types. First: regular drawings, which make it possible to distinguish a person of the highest levels of the prison hierarchy. It is worth saying that not everyone can apply tattoos on the zone. Such an honor must be earned, or it will be a forced drawing. The second type is porters. These are drawings that were made by prisoners on their own from various improvised means, by self-taught and not specialized craftsmen. And the third type of tattoo: impudent ones, which were stuffed as a certain shameful sign to the prisoner solely under duress. These are prisoners of the lowest hierarchy who are convicted according to certain laws or did not follow the principles of the prison world.

Inscriptions

So, let's consider the topic "prison tattoos and their meaning" further. First of all, I would like to say that the prisoners could fill themselves with inscriptions of any type. But basically, these are not full phrases, but their shortened version, understandable only to the underworld, which was deciphered by capital letters. As an example, on the body of those who have served time you can see the words “HORN”, which stands for the first letters of what is written: the state doomed them to slaves forever, “CALL” - know the thieves, they will teach very cool, “CAT” - the native inhabitant of the prison or “BREAD - I will keep love forever. There are many such inscriptions, some of them may disappear due to their irrelevance (for example, inscriptions about the Sovietauthorities), new ones appear from time to time.

Legs

Prisoners can use their entire body. So, prison tattoos are often placed on the legs. The first drawing, which seems very important to many prisoners, is the stars on their knees, they are also commonly called "stars of lawlessness." Their variations are different, but the meaning is always the same: "I will never kneel before anyone." This is a freedom-loving tattoo, which the convicts say that they are rebellious and independent, no matter what. However, not everyone will be able to fill this picture, such an honor must be earned by “correct behavior” from the point of view of convicts in places of deprivation of liberty. If a person has such a tattoo, but he gave a slack, they can simply cut it off with skin from the knees of a delinquent criminal. Also, the prisoners were very fond of putting various chains and shackles on their feet, which meant that even if they were free, they still consider themselves prisoners. The image on the leg of a police officer's epaulette, pierced with a dagger, meant "the urine of the cops", but did not identify the prisoner according to his place in the hierarchical structure.

Tattoos on arms and shoulders

It is also worth considering the meaning of prison tattoos on the arms. So, the first of them is an epaulette, which is placed on the shoulders. They were worn by people who, according to the laws of thieves, distinguished themselves well, this is a sign for certain services to the community. It is very difficult to deserve such a tattoo, but it raised the prisoner to a certain level in the criminalhierarchy. The subclavian stars were also of great importance, which deciphered ambiguously: they could mean both a thief in law and a “denier”, a person who opposes prison orders. Pickpockets applied drawings in the form of beetles to the hands. You could also write the word "BEETLE", which meant "I wish you successful thefts." Next, it is worth considering the meaning of prison tattoos "spider", "cat with a key", "bat". The spider also denoted a person from the world of thieves (sometimes a drug addict). If the spider crawls up along its web, this means that the person will continue to steal, if down, “tied up with theft.” Burglar thieves drew cats with keys on their hands. Well, another symbol of the thief was Lenin, or rather his profile, which could be drawn on the shoulder or on the chest. Everything comes from the decoding of the word: "VOR" - the Leader of the October Revolution. Night thieves painted bats on their bodies.

Rings

It is also important to consider the meaning of prison tattoos on the fingers, because these are special drawings that can be used to determine the status of a person who was in prison. So, the most important drawings on the fingers are rings. There are a huge number of them here, but some of them may seem very similar to an unknowing person, in fact they distinguish people from completely different criminal castes. Drawings on the index finger of the right hand distinguish the train thief who commits thefts on the road, special drawings can tell how cruel he is and what methods he uses. So, for example, a black triangle indicates that a personis particularly cruel. Thieves in law, special criminals, repeat offenders put drawings on their middle fingers. Respected in a criminal environment, people, leaders draw tattoos on their thumbs, this can also distinguish a specialist in a certain field or an expert. A rhombus in a square on the ring finger distinguishes a criminal of the lower stratum, who is considered low for certain actions, can be forced into sodomy, that is, “lowered”. If a person is corrected, the rhombus can be shaded, which will indicate that the person was punished according to criminal laws. The letter "C" on the middle finger is forcibly applied to those persons who are commonly called "stuffed", that is, those who cooperate with law enforcement agencies. For such a tattoo, you can suffer severe punishment not only in the zone, but already in the wild. In special schools, guys can tattoo themselves in the form of a diamond, in the upper corner of which there is a dot, and at the bottom - a cross. This means authority among adolescents, one of the highest in the adolescent hierarchy. This is not a complete list of finger tattoos, there are a huge number of them for every member of the criminal and prison environment.

Religion

Considering prison tattoos and their meaning, it is worth saying that very often prisoners inflict drawings with religious meaning. So what do they mean? The Mother of God, applied mainly on the back or chest, can mean a talisman against any evil, or that a person has taken the path of a criminal too early, even at a young age. Of great importancestuffed church on the body of a criminal. So, the number of domes means the number of walkers per zone or the number of years spent in prison. Criminal authorities applied crucifixes of various sizes to their bodies, this distinguished a prisoner of the highest criminal hierarchy, and it is a great honor to deserve such a tattoo. Prisoners could also stuff bells for themselves. This meant that the person served his entire term in the zone, that is, “from bell to bell.” They could also draw monks who write. It meant a scribbler thief who could scribble any letter with no problem, or it meant a person who skillfully worked with sharp objects such as a razor or a knife.

Dots

Prison tattoos could also be extremely simple. So, the dots stuffed on the prisoner's body are of great importance. What could they mean? The five-point tattoo is very popular, four points along the edges indicate the prison walls, and the fifth, in the center, the prisoner himself. They stuffed it mainly between the index and middle fingers, which meant that the person had visited the zone. Just three full dots can mean a person who enjoys leading a life of crime and perceives himself as a bandit. If the person who got such a tattoo is religious, it can mean the Holy Trinity.

Tear

Considering further the meanings of prison tattoos, one cannot fail to mention the tear applied to the area around the eye (however, this pattern is predominantly European and Americanprisoners). It has several meanings. So, first: a person received a term for violating the law, that is, he simply ended up in places of detention. Second: the tear symbolizes the killer. If it is not painted over, this may mean an attempted murder or that a friend of a prisoner has died and retribution will follow.

About love

The prison meaning of the “rose” tattoo will seem interesting to many. So, this is the ruined youth of the seated one. And since it is a flower of love, it is not difficult to guess what else a rose can mean. So, if it is drawn next to a dagger, it means blood for treason. Furry thieves, that is, those who are imprisoned for rape, can simply fill their hearts. Anyone who vowed to avenge a desecrated love will draw on himself a heart pierced by one or two daggers.

Animals and birds

Very interesting is the prison meaning of the wolf tattoo. The abbreviation alone can tell you what it means. "WOLF" - a thief's breath, a cop's cover. Distinguishes people who hate the servants of order and are ready to deal with them at any time. If a prisoner stuffs a tiger on his body, this means that he is embittered at everyone, especially at the authorities. It can also distinguish a person who is very cruel and evil. The painted cat is a symbol of thieves. If he also has a bow with him, this means that the person sold himself to the cops, for which he can be punished from time to time by the inhabitants of the world of prisoners. The profile of a bull denotes a person who is a fighter and can in variousfights to act on behalf of the main authority. Also, this picture distinguishes a cruel person who quickly becomes enraged. What does a scorpion tattoo mean? The meaning of prison has several different options. So, it can simply denote the sign of the zodiac, but this is its most harmless meaning. Such a tattoo can identify a former commando. If the claws of a scorpion are open, then the person was a participant in hostilities (which is welcome in the zone). The scorpion is also stuffed by those who were in solitary confinement. If the scorpion is drawn at gunpoint, this means a person who participated in the hostilities in Chechnya.

Other drawings

Masks stuffed on the body of a prisoner indicate the mood of the person himself before his term and during it (joy and sadness). Pirates are stuffed by people who are in jail for robbery. A joker or cards are drawn on the body by gambling people who have fallen into the zone for the same reason. A knife in the neck will tell others that a person cut someone, while a swastika or Nazi symbols are stuffed by those who do not agree with the modern government.