Gang Tattoos.
Tattoos in prison are done one of two ways. First is the freehand
method. Using India ink or ink derived from "soot created by
burning plastic eating utensils mixed with shampoo and water,
"the tattoo is applied using a needle or piece of sharp wire in small
dots. These tattoos are noticeably crude and can often appear
childish. More ambitious prison practitioners are able to attain
very professional-looking results using tattoo machines made out of,
for example, a Walkman motor, a hollowed out pen, a guitar string or
wire from a lighter, and a battery. These bits of everyday junk can be
put together to create tattoos that are the equal of many high-quality
commercial efforts.
During the tattooing process, however, both the tattooist and the
recipient are under constant threat of being caught in the act by prison
guards. If their activity is discovered while the tattoo is being created,
or even if they are merely caught with tattooing tools, they face the
likely prospect of being put in lockdown and losing all their privileges,
and the tattooing paraphernalia will almost certainly be confiscated
The tremendous risk involved means that getting a detailed tattoo is
a badge of pride for inmates. So great is the prestige of prison tattoos
that gang members outside of prison will often use the same method
that inmates use rather than go to professional tattoo parlors. These
homemade tattoos can be just as detailed and intricate as professional
ones, even though the tools are often improvised. If tattoos show the
street gang member's pride in his or her "outlaw" status, in prison a gang
member's tattoos offer proof that he or she has flouted the rules and
gotten away with it.
(Source: Gang Tattoos: Signs of Belonging and the Transience of Signs by
Lina Goldberg)
