Russian prison tattoos and meanings

The ink created and worn in Russian prisons is a mysterious and often intimidating part of the world of tattoos. These tattoos often represent a hostile set of beliefs, a crime, or where the wearer stands in the criminal underworld.

Throughout history, those shunned by society have sought unity amongst themselves by creating a language of allegiance and ranking through the ink embedded in their skin. Criminals and convicts all over the world have come together to create their own language by tattooing symbols onto themselves as a way to communicate what they have done and show others that they are not afraid or ashamed. There is nowhere else on Earth where that is more true than in the Russian prison system. Every prisoner is marked, every drop of ink holds meaning, and the symbols are a language in and of themselves. Each body tells a unique story of time served and crimes committed.

Russian prison tattoos and meanings

Between and , during his career as a prison guard, Danzig Baldaev made over 3, drawings of tattoos. They were his gateway into a secret world in which he acted as ethnographer, recording the rituals of a closed society. The icons and tribal languages he documented are artful, distasteful, sexually explicit and provocative, reflecting as they do the lives, status and traditions of the convicts that wore them. Baldaev made comprehensive notes about each tattoo, which he then carefully reproduced in his tiny St. Petersburg flat. Caricature of the Communist Party. The tattoo of an otritsala a convict who refuses to submit to any kind of authority , who was frustrated with the length of his sentence nine years. He was caught stealing food and gasoline from a kolkhoz collective farm warehouse. Corrective Prison Camp No. An anti-social tattoo, a caricature of the ideologists and leaders of the Communist Party — Marx, Lenin and Stalin. The bearer was a persistent violator of prison regulations who refused to work. Common in the s and s. The tattoo was made in a Arkhangelsk Region corrective labour colony in Top centre: An anti-Semitic tattoo worn by a woman convicted for stealing food from a depot. She had cohabited with a Jew who was the head of the food depot where she worked.

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This is one of the most widespread tattoo designs that is easily recognizable in the Russian criminal underworld. Only a convict who has served his time can get a church or a kremlin tattooed on his body. Also, the number of domes is not random; it equals the number of prison terms served by the owner of the tattoo. A spider tattoo tells everybody that its owner is a thief. A spider that appears to climb upwards is a message that its owner is dedicated to being a thief and does not intend to cease his criminal endeavors. On the contrary, a spider that appears to descend downwards means that the person has pledged to stop stealing. In certain cases, a spider who appears to be caught in his web might indicate that the person with the tattoo has a drug addiction.

The ink created and worn in Russian prisons is a mysterious and often intimidating part of the world of tattoos. These tattoos often represent a hostile set of beliefs, a crime, or where the wearer stands in the criminal underworld. However, they can be helpful for prison authorities because they can give vital information. For example, sometimes tattoos are enough to send a person back to prison or even save the life of a man with a badge. Soviet period prison tattoos hid an elaborate and rich visual language. The origins of these prison tattoos can be traced back to the early age 19th century. At this time, the government initiated a practice of tattooing "KAT" on the faces of convicted criminals. This term, derived from the Russian word for "criminal," was a visible indication to society that the bearer had completed one or more prison sentences. This set them apart from the general population of Russia. Over time, prisoners began to take pride in these markings, viewing them as a symbol that commanded respect and deterred potential troublemakers.

Russian prison tattoos and meanings

In the era of the Soviet party, Russian prisons were controlled by a gang known as the Thieves in Law. This gang enforced strict guidelines, including what and where prisoners could tattoo on their bodies. Tattoos had to be earned through physical acts or other ways of standing up to authority, whether it was inside or outside of the prison. If the tattoos were undeserved, they would be forcibly removed from the person before they were further punished with beatings or worse. These days, the tattoo guidelines of the Thieves in Law are no longer followed and inmates are creating their own images with varied meaning. When worn on the knees, the stars are a sign of a prisoner who commands respect. Stars on the chest mark a higher rank. The tattoos must be earned, and an inmate wearing an undeserved tattoo risks a beating or worse.

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Archived from the original on September 23, This is confirmed by the reproduction of the painting Judith by the Italian painter Giorgione left side. Barbed Wire. If you want to join them and learn the skills you need to start tattooing full time faster… Click here to learn more about the Artist Accelerator Program. Hospital No. As a response to this persecution, the thieves' laws were intensified and the punishment for prisoners wearing unearned tattoos increased from removal to rape and murder. Save and Protect! A thief's collection of tattoos represents his "suit" mast , which indicates his status within the community of thieves and his control over other thieves within the thieves' law. Loading comments… Trouble loading? Tattoos Outside of the Prison System. A tattoo of a mermaid often indicates a sentence for child molestation.

From the s to s , photographer Sergei Vasiliev and retired police officer Arkady Bronnikov documented tattoos on prisoners in the Soviet Union now Russia , and their photos were compiled into several art books by FUEL Publishing. These prison tattoos continue a tradition that goes back decades.

Slave of Marxist-Leninist bullshit and deceit. A broken chain indicates that the prisoner has escaped. However, this perception has changed significantly in most parts of the world. A grudge is generally depicted as a dog bearing its teeth. Tattoos placed around the wrists in the design of a bracelet or strap are meant to show that the prisoner wearing them have spent at least 5 years behind bars. Left shoulder blade. Oftentimes, the owners of epaulet tattoos come from maximum security prisons and, perhaps, they have a record of instigating or actively supporting a prison riot. A bug is another symbol of pickpockets and thieves in Russia. Tikhonov, had several previous convictions for theft. The tattoos must be earned, and an inmate wearing an undeserved tattoo risks a beating or worse. Save and Protect!