Zonov tattoos - meaning, symbolism and interpretation, places of application (on fingers, arms, shoulder, back), interesting sketches

Prison tattoos in other countries

The meaning of Zonov’s tattoos is not clear; in different countries, tattoos are treated differently. For example, in the United States, prisoners get tattoos depending on their race.

• Prominent representatives of such a caste are the Aryan Brotherhood, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Nazi rebels from Southern California. All of them are characterized by the application of a swastika, four-leaf clover, three sixes and similar militaristic paraphernalia to the skin.
• In opposition to them, there is a group of African Americans - “Black Power”. They apply tattoos in the form of inscriptions on the back of their hands, knuckles, and African signs as a symbol of respect for their ancestors.
• Latin Americans stand as a separate island between them. These prisoners wear religious tattoos - Jesus, his mother, crosses, rosaries, sometimes biblical scenes or portraits of loved ones.
• And finally, not the most numerous, but no less important group - Asians. They get tattoos depending on their origin: the Japanese - Japanese demons and geishas, ​​the Chinese - dragons.

The Japanese, for example, have a negative attitude towards tattoos. In their opinion, a decent person should not have tattoos. This philistine thinking may be due to the fact that the local mafia (yakuza) could keep entire cities under its control for decades.

Members of the gangster group were, as a rule, completely covered in tattoos. Moreover, family members who were not involved in the criminal business also wore distinctive tattoos. For them, tattoos were a sign of immunity and their origin.

Who can get epaulets tattooed?

Since ancient times, people have decorated their bodies with various tattoos. Patterns on the body could tell a lot about a person: where he comes from, what he does, his social status, etc. In the 20th century, tattoos became the prerogative of prisoners. Using them, prisoners “read” the history of those new to the zone.

The fact is that epaulets are the most controversial tattoo in the world of thieves. Shoulder straps are worn by military and police officers - the main enemies of prisoners. But at the same time, only thieves, whose authority is not subject to the slightest doubt, can get such a tattoo.

The thieves' stars on their shoulder straps can tell you how many walks the prisoner had.

Also, such a tattoo can be made for those who served time in a maximum security colony. Ordinary prisoners are prohibited from getting tattoos of shoulder straps - this can lead to forced correction of the design with homemade machines or even cutting off a piece of skin with the image applied.

Putting an image of shoulder straps on your body is a big responsibility, for which you will have to answer harshly, according to prison laws.

This type of tattoo is rare among juvenile criminals - they lack experience and authority. An exception is made only for those who spent more than 50 days in a punishment cell: in this case, the right to shoulder straps appears.

Tattoos in Russian prisons

Zonov's tattoos always carry one meaning or another. These can be images, portraits of loved ones or idols, and they can also include inscriptions that complete the body image.

The following abbreviations are especially popular:

• EVIL - I will take revenge on the cop for everything;
• YUG – young robber;
• PEACE - shooting will correct me;
• TMJ - prison interferes with life;
• NKVD - there is no stronger friendship than thieves;
• KLOT – I swear to love one (one) you (a little romantic).

A few inscriptions:

• “The main thing in the zone is the thief in law”;
• “Killing is not murder”;
• “Born for torment, I don’t need happiness”;
• “I will not forget my own mother” and so on.

Classification into groups, prison tattoos

Prison tattoos for criminals can be roughly divided into three groups, according to their affiliation. The first group is thieves in law. No, these are not people who steal for a living. This is the elite, the highest rank in the criminal world.

To receive this title, it was necessary to have recommendations from other thieves in law or well-known authorities; a meeting (“skhodnyak”) was held, which was attended by all the thieves located in a given camp, prison or region. If everyone agreed, then the candidate became a thief in law.

Prison tattoos, thief in law

This category has its own group of tattoos that only they can do. No, of course, anyone can do it, but if you end up with these tattoos in a zone or prison and cannot confirm that you belong to the chosen caste, then first they will “tighten” you (beat you up), and then they will force you to remove them, and how you will do this is already your problems.

The next and largest group is the thieves, but they do not call themselves that:

• "prisoners"
• "bros"
• "tramps"
• "tramps"
• "traveling"

Here are the most common replacements for the word “blatnoy”.

People who support prison laws live “according to principles,” the administration calls them “deniers.” This group can include not only thieves, but anyone who actively resists, for example, for refusing to do work; there are simply types of work that only “thieves” can perform.

The thieves have two restrictions on tattoos: thieves, unless you are a thief in law, and tattoos of “lowered” tattoos, which no one would “get” in their right mind anyway.

Goats are prisoners who cooperate with the camp administration, occupying any position:

• librarian
• club manager
• caretaker, etc.

Roosters are “low-down”, “offended”, “faggots”. A group of untouchable outcasts, they also include passive homosexuals. There is also a subgroup, let’s say, “devils”, “chushki” - they are simply untouchable, they are not used as homosexuals.

This group is given tattoos by force, a kind of brand, so that everyone knows that they are untouchable.

Tattoo ring

A ring tattoo means a lot in the prison hierarchy. Prisoners can fill in such sketches at their own request. But some are forcibly impaled. For example, these could be those who have the lowest rank in prison - a rapist, an informer (image of a dog with the caption “Cop from Presskhata”) or a homosexual (cockerel). The most interesting thing is that even if the prisoner ends up in another prison, his status will remain the same.

A ring is placed on the finger, and the signs inside it indicate the status of the criminal.

• The symbol “denied” characterizes a prisoner who does not come to an agreement with the police; moreover, he is hostile to them. Such a prisoner does not understand those who want to atone for their sins; he will never change. People with such a ring belong to the thieves' elite. It looks like a diamond divided into four parts, and two diagonal triangles are painted black.
• “Muzhik” is awarded to those who have not achieved a certain authority among thieves, but were true to their principles. It is pinned in the shape of a diamond with a black vertical line in the middle.
• A fairly common tattoo that almost all former prisoners have. “Was in prison” – a black square with a white line to the diagonal.
• “On trial for murder” - the handle of a knife is depicted, around which a snake is wrapped.

What exactly should you not inject?

Tattoo of a “rooster” (passive pederast), so as not to be confused with normal prisoners, identification marks are forcibly applied to them.

Another tattoo for the untouchables is the parachute, which is also applied by force.

362. Passive homosexual. In the jargon - “mashka”, “rooster”, “comb”, “cocksucker”, “blue”, “daisy”, “pig”. Apply to the back.

363. Tattoo of someone who was born an active - passive pederast, an authority among homosexuals, capable of all forms of debauchery.

364, 369, 370. Tattoos of passive pederasts.

365. Occurs in “sexually preoccupied” people, that is, rapists. Apply to the thigh, stomach.

366. A very old tattoo of a passive bugger.

367. Title “King of all stripes”, a passive pederast by nature is capable of all forms of debauchery.

368. Youth.

Tattoo of an active homosexual.

Mark for omitted.

It is clear that being in “a sober mind and a strong memory,” no one will voluntarily “stuff this on himself.” But for general development, you can familiarize yourself.

The prison tattoos below are intended for thieves in law, camp authorities, and godfathers. They all carry a certain meaning and correspond to the rank of the person wearing them. For an ordinary person to do this to himself is to bring himself into big trouble.

“May the strongest win”, white crown with rays, the number of rays is the number of convictions. Ring of authority - thief in law, godfather.

Clubs and spades placed in a checkerboard pattern, a ring of camp authority. Can be combined with cathedral domes, the number of which corresponds to the number of convictions.

The eight-pointed star, tattoo of camp authorities - thieves in law, godfathers, denied, is applied under the collarbone.

Epaulet, another attribute of thieves in law.

A symbol of a thief in law, indicating the high rank of its owner in the criminal world.

“King of the Thief's Suit” is a status tattoo of the elite, the crown is a symbol of accomplished revenge.

Recommended reading: Tattoos of thieves in law.

We recommend reading: Chicano tattoo style

We recommend reading: Tattoo dots

We recommend reading: Star tattoo on knees

Other Zonov tattoos

In addition to rings, inscriptions, and abbreviations, prisoners also stuff images that contain deep meaning.

• A tattoo of shackles means that their wearer is serving a sentence of more than five years on a serious charge. Each ring on the shackles corresponds to a year of imprisonment.
• The devil tattoo symbolizes fearlessness and an irrepressible desire to survive in any situation. The demon sitting on the moon suggests that a person will not lose heart even in the most lost situation (he will even find a way out of space).
• However, a tattoo of a devil undressing a woman or a devil doing the same thing can mean a despondent prisoner.
• The devil, stuffed all over his back, characterizes a person who has a certain thieves' authority in places of serving his sentence. The convict wants to show his cunning and insidiousness.

There are also moments when a prisoner realizes the gravity of his crime and repents. Then he can get a tattoo of a crying killer.

Prison tattoos, meaning and interpretation

Prison tattoos are very varied and extensive, many featuring women. Only a small part is presented here.

1. There are two beautiful phenomena in the world - love and death. It means loyalty to a woman and a hidden threat of revenge for betrayal. Apply to the back or chest.

2. Death for treason. The owner of the tattoo is convicted of murdering a woman, the logs indicate the length of the sentence. Apply to the chest or thigh.

3. Executioner chopping naked women. Sometimes the abbreviation “GOD” is added, meaning hatred of the administration and laws.

4. Love and hate (good and evil) are always nearby. The owner ended up in the zone because of a woman. Apply to the thigh or chest.

5. Woman with wings. The meaning of luck, random luck, luck is done on the wrist, usually found among thieves.

6. Nothing lasts forever in this world. All the will of God. A tattoo of authority can be accompanied by a text about the frailty of everything worldly. Apply only to the chest.

7. A piece of barbed wire. A general symbol indicating that the owner has passed ITU. Apply to the wrist.

11. I took full revenge for the betrayal. Symbolizes revenge (not necessarily against a woman). Found among thieves' leaders, applied to the chest or thigh.

12. Prison bars, rose and dagger. The owner served time for hooliganism at the VTK. Do it on the forearm or shoulder. Blood for treason - a dagger and a rose without bars.

13. I came of age in an educational and labor colony. Apply on the shoulder, less often on the chest.

14. Wheel of fortune, meaning faith in luck, is applied to the chest.

15. Thieves’ symbol: “Our life is a struggle,” the crown indicates a tattoo of a thief in law, a ruler, a beholder. Apply to the shoulder, less often to the chest.

16. Cross with chain. It speaks of faith in one’s fate, “stuffed” in the upper part of the chest, a cross in the form of a suit of clubs means that the owner is a thief.

17. A story from the Bible about the tempting serpent. “A woman pushed her into committing a crime.” They are done on the chest or shoulder, sometimes found in passive homosexuals (on the back).

18. I met 16 years old at VTC. Apply to the shoulder.

19. I met an 18-year-old in the VTK, shackles speak of a full-fledged criminal. Place the tattoo on the shoulder.

20. A mermaid at anchor, seen among sailors and those serving time for rape or indecent assault, sometimes found among passive homosexuals. Apply to the chest and back.

21. Pitchfork, means strength, a threat made on the shoulder, forearm or thigh, is rare.

22. Eight-pointed star, tattoo of thieves in law, godfathers, denied, applied under the collarbone.

24. A bear with an ax marked on it in the suit of clubs speaks of a safecracker - a burglar. The second meaning is that he served his sentence in a “logging camp.” “The law is the taiga, the scoop is the norm, the bear is the prosecutor.”

25. The key and arrow, the sign of a burglar, are applied to the forearm and thigh.

31. A lion with weapons - a sword, bow, axe, arrows and maces, a symbol of power and strength, the book in front of him speaks of wisdom. "Cruel but fair." Authority tattoos are applied to the chest.

32. A demon in flight, there may be an inscription “Fatum” (rock), applied to the chest, meaning cruelty “My God is an evil Demon”, “Satan will pay for sins”, found among fighters, bulls, denied.

33 and 34. Tattoo of drug addicts. The gin coming out of the jug is done on the chest, shoulder or front of the thigh. Spider in a web, can be applied to the head, under the hair. A spider without a web is a pickpocket.

35. Three cards pierced by an arrow - a card sharper.

36. An eagle on top means freedom and power, a tattoo of camp authorities.

37. Damn, refers to the so-called “grins”, means hatred of the administration, applied to the chest.

38. Cupid, the serpent - the tempter, doves, a heart pierced by an arrow, the composition “Tempted by you forever”, applied to the chest and back.

40. “The native inhabitant of the prison is the CAT”, cat tattoos are done mainly by repeat offenders who identify themselves with this animal. A cat combines the following qualities: attachment to home (a thief's house is a prison), and pride. There may be an inscription “And now I’m home.”

41. Symbol of the power of the pharaoh, first found among camp authorities, then among thieves reselling stolen items. Rarely found, applied to hands.

58. Sailboat, “Eternal Tramp” or “Eternal Wanderer”, indicates a guest performer, black sails - a gopnik, white - a thief, the number of masts indicates the number of criminal records. Apply to the chest, thigh.

65. A monk with a feather, means “scribe” - a pickpocket, commits thefts with the help of sharply sharpened objects: coins, razors, rings.

66. Eagle with a suitcase, guest performer. Instead of a suitcase there may be a woman - “Convicted of rape” may indicate a tendency to escape.

67. A woman with a snake implies cruelty and violence.

68. Napoleon, symbol of power and adventurism.

69. “I wish you a successful theft - beetle”, used by pickpockets, applied between the index and thumb. Instead of a beetle, a spider without a web or a flea can be depicted.

70. Hand with a dagger piercing the devil. Tattoos of anti-Semites, “Beat the Jews, save Russia,” “Killing a Jew is not a crime, but cleansing the world of the messengers of Satan,” were considered political and were destroyed.

71. The devil with the bag, “There was happiness, but the devil took it away,” tattoo of an owner with extensive thief experience.

75. “Served his sentence in the north.”

76. Eagle between a palm tree and a spruce, a touring thief, a tendency to escape. The skull symbolizes violence.

This is only a small part of the total number of tattoos of the criminal world.

Tattoo abbreviations, decoding

• AA is a hell's angel.
• AGMD - Adolf Hitler is my friend.
• AMUR - TNMN - my angel left early - that’s how my misfortunes began.
• BARS - beat the activists, cut the branches, beat the activists, cut the informers.
• BES - hit if you can.
• GOD - God will forgive sins, was condemned by the state, I’m afraid to remain hungry, I will rob again, be careful robber.
• WINE - come back and stay forever.
• WOLF - that’s what love is like; shortness of breath for a thief - the cops are dead; The colonist loves freedom.
• VOR is the leader of the October Revolution.
• RAVEN is a thief - he is born of one hatred.
• The university is an eternal prisoner of the zone; I will die a happy prisoner.
• GOTT - I'm only proud of you; ready to give myself only to you.
• JOHN - nothing but misfortune awaits you at home; the souls of the Jews, they are misfortune.
• BOTTOM - let it rest a little; let us catch our breath.
• EVA - f... the whole asset.
• EUROPE - if a thief works, he is a fallen prisoner.
• ZHOVM - one ass - there are many of you (applied by force).
• ZHUR - live luxuriously.
• CALL - know the thieves - they will teach you very cool things.
• ZEK - there is a convoy here.
• EVIL - a prisoner likes to relax; the covenant of a beloved father; knew love once; I will take revenge on the cops for everything.
• SNAKE - why a man - I am.
• ITCH - here they teach you how to fight.
• TOOTH! - Great lessons from Blatari!
• IRA - I'm going to cut the asset.
• IRIS is both a slave and an informer (inflicted by force).
• KENT - when f...t you have to endure.
• WEDGE - when you love, punish betrayal.
• CAT is a native inhabitant of the prison; how difficult it is to be alone; who will warm up the melancholy.
• LBJ - I love you more than life itself.
• LEO - I love her forever; I love funny fucks; cops are fucking fun.
• FOREST - I love her very much.
• LIR - love and separation; I love and cut.
• MAG is my Adolf Hitler.
• MJ is a sweet fool.
• PEACE - shooting will correct me.
• MTS - the cops are stupid brutes.
• NEAL - You can’t cheat on your loved ones.
• NINA is not (was) and will not (be) an activist.
• OSA - leave death to the activists.
• OST - I will be yours again.
• PAPA - p...t activists, hello to anarchists.
• PVA - I despise your asset.
• BEER - forgive and come back.
• POST - I'm sorry, father, this is fate.
• RHYTHM is my joy and longing.
• DREAM - with (me) only misfortunes; happiness bypasses the unfortunate; the most mischievous impudent one.
• SOS (SOS) - save from trial; I'm saving myself from bitches; I'm saving myself from syphilis; bitches took away freedom; save your son, father.
• SIR - freedom is heaven.
• TIGER - prison - toy; I am ready to tear you, a traitor, to pieces; Comrades, let's go rob the restaurant.
• MORNING - he left the path of his own father.
• YUG - young robber; southern robber; young tourer.
• JAVA - I'm active.
• POISON - I'll wait.
• YANNA - I hope for amnesty.
• YARMO - I was born to suffer alone.
• YACHT - I want you, angel.

Methods of tattooing

Thanks to the strict regime in places of deprivation of liberty, the methods of applying tattoos amaze the imagination with their sophistication. All tattoos are done exclusively by hand and with means that the average person does not attach importance to.

As a rule, needles are used on sticks or on matches. They are dipped in ink and precisely pierced into the skin. If there are no needles, then cunning prisoners can use wires or any other thin objects from which a point can be sharpened. Well, if there is no ink or ink, mix a paste of soot and sugar diluted in urine or water.

Sometimes teenagers can apply tattoos to themselves “out of naivety”, without suspecting their true meaning, since outside the criminal environment their subject matter is considered completely harmless. Sometimes future prisoners may tattoo themselves in advance, hoping for honor or at least a quiet existence in the prison world. But this rarely really helps.

Roosters in prison - who are they?

Those excluded from prison life are a caste of untouchables.
How do people living in prison live? They live separately from full members of the prison community: under the bed (“under the bunk”), near the toilet.

In large camps, separate barracks are allocated for them, which are called cockerels.

Those who are omitted use individual household items.

Holes are made in their dishes so that no one accidentally confuses “grinded” plates and spoons with normal ones.

Life for those in prison is very difficult. Roosters do the dirtiest types of work.

There are several theories about the origin of this caste.

According to the most common version, those released were separated into a separate prison stratum after the 1961 reform.

She divided the camps according to the severity of the detention regime: seasoned prisoners, repeat offenders began to live separately from the original prisoners (you can find out what types of prisons exist in Russia today and what regimes there are there).

The pioneers are, as a rule, young people striving for competition in all spheres of life; they did not know the principles of prison and, in the absence of supervision by more experienced prisoners, their life became more and more wild over time.

This has led to the fact that punishment by rape, which before the reform was an extreme measure used in isolated cases, has become widespread (read about types of violence in prisons here).

Any prisoner can become omitted.

But some categories of people are assigned to this caste automatically or with a high probability.

These include:

1. People who practiced homosexual relations in the wild.
2. Prisoners who were sent to prison for raping minors.
3. People whose relatives work in law enforcement agencies.

Information: in addition to roosters, there is a caste of devils in the prison community. The lowered devils share the status of untouchables, but they are not used for sexual pleasures.

Automatic lowering is becoming less and less common in prisons. The attitude towards people imprisoned under “rooster” charges will not be good, but sexual violence will not be shown towards them.

Why is it called a rooster in prisons? There is no exact answer to this question. Probably, this name comes from the verb “cock”, which denoted the process of rape.