Tattoos may seem like they’re everywhere, but they still stigmatize people in the legal system. Researchers in the US have been tracking a cohort of people who were in middle school in the 90s. They checked in with about 15,700 kids four times each, from 1995 to 2008. Turns out, after controlling for other factors, those who had tattoos were more likely to have trouble with the law.
Men with tattoos, compared to men without tattoos, were 160% more likely to be arrested, 80% more likely to be convicted, and 100% more likely (i.e. twice as likely) to be incarcerated.
Women with tattoos, compared to women without tattoos, were 75% more likely to be arrested, 70% more likely to be convicted, and 90% more likely to be incarcerated.
Note: No distinction was made between a butterfly tattoo on your ankle and a skull on your neck. That’s probably important.
The study was published in the journal Deviant Behavior.
