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Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards Free FREE RUSSIAN CRIMINAL TATTOO ENCYCLOPAEDIA POSTCARDS PDF Danzig Baldaev,Sergei Vasiliev | 53 pages | 31 Oct 2013 | Fuel Publishing | 9780956896261 | English | London, United Kingdom The Secret Meanings Behind Russian Prison Tattoos During the 20th century in the Soviet UnionRussian criminal and prison communities maintained a culture of using tattoos to indicate members' criminal career and ranking. Specifically among those imprisoned under the Gulag system of the Soviet era, the tattoos served to differentiate a criminal leader or thief in law from a political prisoner. The practice grew in the s, Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards in the s and declining in popularity in the s and s. The branding of criminals was practised in Russia long before tattooing was customary, and was banned in In the 19th century, a "pricked" cross on the left hand was often used to identify deserters from the army, and up untilcriminals sentenced to hard labour were branded Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards thiefthe letters on the forehead and cheeks. In the s, Russian criminal castes began to emerge, such as the Masti suits and the Vor v Zakone rus. Up until World War II, any tattoo could denote a professional criminal, the only exception being tattoos on sailors. Under the Gulag system of the Soviet era, laws that were implemented in mid allowed short prison sentences to be given to those convicted of petty theft, Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards, or labor discipline infractions. This led to an increase in the prison population during and after World War II. By Januarythe Gulag workforce had increased by approximatelyprisoners. Some of the motifs came from English sailor tattoossuch as the flying tall ships, a heart pierced by a dagger, anchors, a serpent-entwined heart or a tiger baring its teeth. A thief's collection of tattoos represents his "suit" mastwhich indicates his status within the community of thieves and his control over other thieves within the thieves' law. The tattoos show a "service record" of achievements and failures, prison sentences and the type of work a criminal does. They might also represent his "thief's family", naming others within hearts or with the traditional tomcat image. After World War II a schism occurred in the criminal world. Many convicts had fought in penal unitsin contravention of the thieves' code that no thief should serve in the military or cooperate with authorities in any way. Many legitimate thieves found themselves demoted to frayer outsidermuzhik peasantor suka traitor, a bitch. This was part of a power struggle; with limited resources in prison, outlawing the "bitches" suki allowed the legitimate thieves to take more for themselves. Tattoos were modified and new designs appeared to distinguish between the two groups. The dagger piercing a heart was modified, adding an arrow: this tattoo indicated a legitimate thief and his desire to seek vengeance against those who had violated Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards thieves' code. The compass rose became an indicator of aggression to prison officials and the "bitches", indicating the vow that "I will never wear epaulettes " and hatred towards those who had served in the Soviet Army. Secret acronyms were Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards by legitimate thieves that the "bitches" wouldn't recognise, such as SLON lit. In the s Nikita Khrushchev declared a policy for the eradication of criminality from Soviet Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards. Along with propaganda denouncing the "traditional thief" that had grown in popularity in Russian culture, punishments in the prisons intensified for anyone that identified as a legitimate thief, including beatings and torture. As a response to this persecution, the thieves' Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards were intensified and the punishment for prisoners wearing unearned tattoos increased from removal to rape and murder. By the s, the intensification of the thieves' laws had resulted in reprisals against the legitimate thieves, Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards by prison authorities who would often throw a legitimate thief into cells with prisoners they had Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards or raped. Fights between inmates were outlawed and conflicts were to be resolved through mediation by senior thieves. Additionally, a fashion for tattooing had spread through juvenile prisons, increasing the number of inmates with "illegitimate" tattoos. This ubiquity along with the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards in violence meant that the "criminal authorities" stopped punishing "unearned" tattoos. Inperestroika and the new increase in tattoo parlours made tattooing fashionable, and further diluted the status of tattoos as a solely criminal attribute. The tattooists, or kol'shchiki prickerswere held in high regard. Tattoo needles can be referred to as peshnya ice pickpchyolka beeshpora spuror shilo stingwhile the tattoo machine can be referred to as mashinka little machine or bormashina dentist's drilland the ink is referred to as either mazut fuel oil or gryaz dirt. The tattoos themselves were referred to as a reklama advertisingregalka regaliakleimo brandor rospis painting. Common designs and themes Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards over the years, often having Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards meanings depending on the location of the tattoo. The imagery often does not literally mean what it is Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards example, tattoos displaying Nazi imagery represent a rejection of authority rather than an adherence to Nazism. Combinations of imagery, such as a rose, barbed wire and a dagger, form combined meanings. According to lexicographer Alexei Plutser-Sarno, the tattoos become the only "real aspects of his life". The environment in the Soviet era was one of heavy visual propaganda, and the tattoos are a reaction to that, and a "grin at authority" oskal na vlastoften directly parodying official Soviet slogans with Communist Party leaders often depicted as devils, donkeys, or pigs. A thief's collection of tattoos represent his "suit" mastwhich indicates his status within the community of thieves and his control over other thieves within the thieves' law. They might also represent his "thief's family", naming others within hearts or with the traditional tom cat image. Tattoos on the hands and fingers were common, and for women, palm tattoos showing insults were popular in the s and 50s. There are tattoos that are forcibly applied to signify "demotion" razzhalovanie. These may depict sexual acts, and are designed to lower the owner in the eyes of other prisoners and draw harsh treatment from them. Other thieves must not accept anything from them or be considered "infected" zakontachit'sya. As a thief is "born" with his tattoos, they can also be used to signify his "death" and new status as an "untouchable". Even established thieves could be demoted, if, for example, they lost a card game and failed to honor their bets. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Russia portal Soviet Union portal. Russian criminal tattoo encyclopedia. London: Fuel. Encyclopedia of Body Adornment. Yale University Press. Russian criminal tattoo encyclopedia 1. Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 21, Categories : Tattooing Russian culture Russian criminals Secret societies related to organized crime. Hidden categories: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list. Namespaces Article Talk. Views Read Edit View history. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Download as PDF Printable version. Shop | Russian Criminal Tattoo Archive | FUEL Make Corrections1 your homepage. Use this information to keep yourselves and your coworkers safe. Jail staff can stay safer by knowing as much as they can about inmates. Here are 15 tattoos and their secret meanings. Know a different meaning for the tattoos displayed here? Share it in the comments. The numbers 14 or 88 on their own can also be used, which sometimes creates confusion. Typically, these tattoos Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards be found anywhere on the body. Cobwebs typically represent a lengthy term in prison. The symbolism is associated with Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards trapping prey; or criminals trapped behind bars. This tattoo is commonly found on the elbow, signifying sitting around so long with your elbows on the table that a spider made a web on your elbow, though it can also be located on the neck. In some places, the tattoo can mean a lengthy prison sentence, while in others it signifies that the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards has committed murder. If the teardrop is just an outline, it can symbolize an attempted murder. The teardrop has been popularized recently by rappers and other celebrities, but still remains a staple in prisons. Those who are newbies behind bars with a teardrop tattoo will make a lot of enemies, fast. This is the symbol of the Latin Kings gang, which is one of the biggest Hispanic gangs in the U. The five points are due to the Latin Kings being an affiliate of the People Nation gang, which is represented by the number five. Latin Kings have a huge presence both in and out of prison, and their roots go back to the s. Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards details of the crown, such as the colors of the jewels in the points, can have a whole other level of hidden meanings. Three dots Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Postcards Whiserkino. This tattoo is typically found on the hands or around the eyes. The three dot tattoo is often created using a stick-and-poke method, requiring very rudimentary tools. These dots differ greatly from the previous tattoo — five dots represents time done in prison. Also known as the quincunx, the four dots on the outside represent four walls, with the fifth on the inside representing the prisoner. This tattoo can be found internationally, among both American and European inmates. Five dots on other parts of the body can have different meanings, such as an association with the People Nation gang.
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