Russian Prison Tattoos: Codes of Authority, Domination, and Struggle

by Alix Lambert, Mary Christ

For centuries, Russian prison inmates forcibly initiated newcomers with tattoos. Gradually, prisoners developed a secret form of communication with their tattoos, allowing them to establish rank among the other inmates and maintain a clandestine hierarchy. This book explores the grisly reality of Russian prisons and the people who inhabit them. Over 190 black and white and color photographs expose the different tattoos and their meanings, ranging from churches, crosses, Christs, Madonnas, military symbols, cats, dolphins, bears, hawks, and other startling images. Documentary filmmaker Alix Lambert traveled around modern Russia to film these sinister environments, collected stories to identify the dying art of tattooing in Russian prisons, and detailed the lives of the heavily marked inmates, past and present. This fascinating, spine-tingling book provides an entirely new outlook on tattoos and what they can represent!

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology, Crime, Art, Photography

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A secret language deciphered; chilling yet fascinating in complexity and scope. I remember one of my professors telling the class that prison/gang tattoos had to be looked at from two perspectives: 1). a decision to show affiliation with a particular group and 2). a 'willingness' to subordinate the laws of a give society to the laws of that particular group. This book gives examples of both of these perspectives.

[Cwn_annwn_13 · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part a photography book Russian Prison Tattoos besides going into the meaning of the tattoos the text of this book is also a look into Russian prison life and street level criminal culture. There is a pretty strict caste system within the Russian prison system, that I have to say seems to be a lot more orderly than the rest of Russian society. Tattoos are used to show where you sit within that caste system. Some examples are spiders denote drug addiction, a Madonna or woman holding an infant means you have been in the system since you were still a child, an executioner or a knife through a skull means you are a murderer, eyes on the lower abdomen means you are a pedophile or in for a sex crime, etc. In most cases you are more or less obligated to have these tattoos on your body to show what crime you have committed. However the old prison codes and tattooing system is slowly but surely dying off according to this book.

You also get a look into a few of the people in this books lives and hear some of their stories, like the guy who shot, killed and then beheaded three gypsies when he caught them digging up his Mothers grave in order to steal items that she had been buried with. One surprising thing about the Russian criminal system is the penalty for murder is often barely more than the penalty for seemingly petty robberies and thefts. The pictures in the book really give you a feel for what an utter hell life is in a Russian prison. High tuberculosis and hepatitus rates, potential violence from guards and inmates at all times, living in unbelievably cramped and filthy conditions. I actually began to feel like I was in a Russian prison myself while reading this. Due to there not being a huge amount of text its a quick read (I think I read it cover to cover in less than 24 hours) but its very interesting none the less.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wrote paper in college about the deep meanings of Russian Prison tattoos. I relied heavily on this book due to it's information and detailed look into both the meanings of tattoos, the way they are crafted and designed, as well as the life these prisoners endure in prison.

[Erin Tuzuner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sobering and informative read.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good premise but too long and repetitive. There were to many -ologies going on at once I could never figure out what she wanted to say.

[Aaron the Pink Donut · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the companion book to the documentary: “Mark of Cain”. You don’t necessarily need to see the documentary to apriate the book; it stands on in own quite well. The Documentary is hard to find but well worth seeing. Nice clear color and B&W photos and good concise text make this a very good introductory book to not only the Russian Prison Tattoo subculture but the Russian prison system in general. Very interesting and arresting stuff!

[Thedakotakid · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting tale of Russian prison tattoos, but not enough details of their origins and deeper meanings.