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| Russian Prison Tattoos: Codes of Authority, Domination, and Struggle | 
 enlarge | Author: Alix Lambert
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $19.77
You Save: $10.18 (34%)
New (21) Used (3) from $19.77
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 90245
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 159
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 0764317644
Dewey Decimal Number: 365.60947
EAN: 9780764317644
ASIN: 0764317644
Publication Date: August 2003
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-6 of 6 | | « PREV | | |
Russian Hell July 27, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
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.
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