02 Sept 06

Legitimizing Prison Tattoo Shops

I've met many prisoners who contracted diseases from getting tattoos - most with hepatitis C, one with AIDS, and some with staph infections - so I was pleased to read an article by Gary Hunter in Prison Legal News (August 06) about six Canadian prisons, including Manitoba’s Rockwood Institution, that have set up prison tattoo shops as a measure to prevent diseases. Prisoner skin artists are paid $6.90 per day, and prisoner customers pay $5 per tattoo.

The adoption of such a program in the US would prevent some prisoners from contracting diseases and reduce healthcare costs in the long run.


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