What do these tattoos mean?
Indeed, among prisoners, some tattoos have a strictly defined meaning. They may express belonging to a particular group or simply denote a personal identity, but they can also represent a kind of “summary” of the prisoner – for those who know how to read them. They reveal information such as the number of years in prison or his criminal past, and therefore serve as true identifiers.
As Jérôme Pierre, author of the prison tattoo book Bad Boys, co-written with Eric Guyon, noted in an interview with Mediapart:
“At first glance, these tattoos may look like ordinary decorative signs. But in the eyes of the initiated, they are a real identity card.”
In this article, we try to present a list of tattoos analyzed by experts on criminal groups and penitentiary officials. We will show that these tattoos do not only serve aesthetics, but convey a concrete and sometimes terrifying message.
Here are 14 prisoner tattoo designs that have scary meaning and will make you think twice before getting a tattoo. This is a decision that should never be taken lightly.
