A Statistical Analysis Of Prisoner Tattoos

December 27, 2016 in Daily Bulletin

In one of its Christmas Specials, The Economist looked at prisoner tattoo correlations:

  • Three quarters of prisoners in the data set The Economist used have at least one tattoo.
  • White prisoners are more likely to have tattoos related to racial supremacy, such as those of Nazi swastikas.
  • Hispanics, who are often Catholic, are more likely to have tattoos of Christian imagery such as crosses or the Virgin Mary.
  • Women frequently have tattoos of butterflies, hearts, and motivational quotes (“this too shall pass”).
  • Men like tattoos related to incarceration – bars, handcuffs, and the like.
  • Sex offenders – especially pedophiles – are least likely to have tattoos.
  • And those who reject tattoos are more likely to be murderers than those who have them.
  • But upon being freed, those who sport ink are likely to return to prison after just 2.4 years. Those without tattoos will last 5.4 years before being sentenced back to prison.
  • Inmates who opt for Christian tattoos are less likely to be in prison due to murder.
  • But the reverse isn’t true: satanic tattoos are not a predictor of homicide.

Read more of the fascinating analysis at The Economist.