In forensic pathology, tattoos may give specific identifying clues as to the social status, personality, religious affiliations, associations with organizations, sexual orientation, criminal behavior, or drug use of an individual.

IDENTIFICATION:

• Name
• Initials
• Social security number
• POW
• Concentration camp #

SOCIAL STATUS:

• Homemade vs. professional tattoos
• Simple vs. elaborate designs
• Fraternity tattoos
• Tribal or clan membership
• (The more tattoos, the higher the rank [Samoa])

BACKGROUND:

• Interests
• Harley-Davidson tattoos
• Gambling
• The macho image
• Women

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIONS:

• Cuban refugees/Marielitos: Afro-Caribbean cults
• Hexagon tattoos (union of opposites) - Occult
  Also folk nation gang members - crips

ORGANIZATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:

• Military service
• Flags
• Eagles
• Ships
• Patriotic symbols

CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR:

• Jailhouse tattoos
• Pachuco

• handweb tattoos (Marielitos)
• heart with "madre" = executioner
• falling star = kidnapper
• trident = enforcer
• five dots = pickpockets/delinquent behavior

DRUG ADDICTION:

• Soft or hard core drug users
• Antisocial phrases:

• "born to lose"
• "love to hate"
• "I don’t believe in friends"

• Injection sites
• Cockroaches and spiders

SEXUAL ORIENTATION:

• Female prostitutes:

• Suprapubic tattoos:

• "keep off the grass"
• "pay as you enter"
• "the love nest"
• "admission $0.50"
• "to hell with housework"

BI-SEXUALS:

• ? left ring finger
• ACDC

LESBIANS:

• 4 dots on each finger = born to love women
• another woman’s name
• bulldog on biceps

MALE HOMOSEXUALS:

• buttock tattoo (passive homosexual)

• back tattoos

• foxes running down the spine disappearing into the anus
• a cat chasing a mouse down into the anus

• penis

• coiled snake often denoting an active homosexual

• fingers

• "love" denoting unattached homosexual vs. true love tattoos

• misc. sexual tattoos

• exhibitionist genital tattoos
• seductive or pornographic tattoos

MISCELLANEOUS:

• Magical/superstitious
• Decorative/accomplishments
• Souvenir
• Fake (adhesive) tattoos
• Body piercing/branding

ILLEGIBLE OR FADING TATTOOS:

These can be visualized by:

• high contrast photography
• computer image enhancement
• infrared photography
• heat application and wiping off detached skin

YAKUZA (Japanese Mafia):

• encourage members to have full body tattoos

SKINHEADS:

• will usually have the tattoo "88" on their body. The number 8 stands for the 8th letter of the alphabet, which is "H." Double 8 to the skinhead stands for "Hell Hitler."

ASIAN GANGS:

• theatrical masks
• very ornate ships, boats and junks (symbolizing departure to freedom)
• eagles, panthers, serpents (courage and power; meant to intimidate)
• 3 dots arranged in a triangle (symbolizes "my crazy life")
• 4 T’s (representing Vietnamese words for love, money, prison sometimes a 5th T signifying the word for "revenge")
• 5 dots arranged as they would be on a dice cube (the middle c the gang member and the other surrounding dots symbolizing friends to the north, south, east and west of him)
• gang initials (AB/Asian Boys, CLB/Cool Lover Bays, NJB/Nator NCA/Ninja Clan Assassins etc)

Markings may also be burned into the member’s flesh with cigarettes or hot coins to indicate the member’s "toughness or willingness to engage in criminal activities." Generally the more burn marks a member has, the higher in the gang he is. To defeat law enforcement observations, theses burns may be camouflaged by tattoos.