The evolution of the tattoo in defiance of the immutable definition of deviance: current perceptions by law enforcement of tattooed arrestees

ABSTRACT

Tattoos have made their way from prisons to fashion runways, but are they still perceived by law enforcement as marks of deviance? The purpose of this study is to examine law enforcement arrest patterns to determine the relationship between tattoos and offense charges. This study analyzes a random sample of arrestees from a large county in the Southern U.S. Using logistic regression models, the relationship between tattoos, tattoo location, number of offense charges, and severity of offense charges is examined.

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Notes on contributors

Jocelyn Camacho

JOCELYN CAMACHO Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA Jocelyn Camacho is a doctoral student at Old Dominion University in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. Her research interests include punishment theory, social justice, popular culture, and green criminology. Her most recent publication is found in Justice Quarterly.

Wyatt Brown

WYATT BROWN, Ph.D. Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Marshall University, Huntington, WV Wyatt Brown is an Assistant Professor in the department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Marshall University. His research interests include disparities in the criminal justice system and testing of criminological theories. His most recent publication is found in Justice Quarterly.