– It has been reported that a star on the arm of a Norteno member is awarded for one killing. Their sworn enemies, the Nortenos or Nuestra Familia are represented by the number 14 which sometimes appears as a dot on one hand and four dots on the other. – The number 13 (represented by a single dot on one hand and three on the other): used to represent Surenos, a gang that grew out of the Mexican Mafia. – Lightning bolts: awarded to members of white gangs usually for assigned assaults, usually on another race but not always. – Earned tattoo: can be any number of symbols showing membership, a gang’s name or symbol, or a symbol of work done – Doing or putting in work: usually an assault or murder done on instructions from a “shot caller” – Shot Caller: gang member in charge of a group They can be a celebration of the wearer’s heritage and pride.Ī short and incomplete glossary of tattoo markings and terms Tattoos can also mourn the loss of a loved one or the joy of a child’s birth. A person’s tattoos can speak to what they have done in the past, what groups he has belonged to, what “work” he/she has put in, as well as time served, what he/she does on the outside and whether or not they have killed. The stories they tell can be personal, they can be political and they can be warning signs. In prisons and jails around the world, prisoner tattoos are visual narratives. The social acceptability of tattoos may have changed but inmates are still outcasts without a shred of status in mainstream society. Tattoos may be becoming the norm but before their surge in popularity, tattoos were the province of society’s outcasts: sailors, artists, carnies and outlaws – acting as roadmaps of their lives: who they were, what they had done, their loves, desires, their sorrows and pains. According to a 2006 PEW Research Center report, almost 4 in 10 between the ages of 18 and 40 are tattooed.

Menace to society tattoo