Customer Reviews

Gangs and Their Tattoos: Identifying Gangbangers on the Street and in Prison

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The concept behind this book is good enough, but unfortunately, not only is the writing mediocre, but the drawings are subpar and the drive of the book seems to be towards informing frightened people who want to know who, of the people around them, are "gang members" or "dangerous." What's unfortunate is that, for example, dragons and tigers are outlined as "gang" tattoos for Asians with dangerous lifestyles, which, while that is relevant, it is problematic because it is not pointed out that not *all* Asians with those as tattoos are dangerous. I imagine that anyone who is reading this to "identify gangbangers on the street" around them, aside from, say, security guards or similar individuals, will give into fear and judge those around them with tattoos because of what they read in this book. But as I said. The writing has errors in it, such as the constant misspellings of Teotihuacán, and gems like saying that Asians get tattoos of dragons and tigers because those animals are native to Asia. (Tigers, maybe. Dragons? Better wording is in order.)

In sum, I have read much better books on the topic and not only because they contained better data, but because they were written and/or illustrated more professionally.

this book as helped me in my current profession (law enforcement) to identify different gang sets in my middle school and community.

This book was simply, great. As a Gang Investigator I found this book to be extremely accurate, up-to-date and highly valuable. This book gives you concrete identifiers that have remained constant in some gangs for 20+ years. I have personally seen some of these tattoos on gang members. This is probably THE manual to have if this is your field. You can not get any more specific information outside of the law enforcement relm.

this is one of my favorite books. it is extremely informative and it should be a must for all correctional officers. this book helps identify certain gang tattoos and prison gang tattoos. its quite a good reference book for police officers as well. the book also has really good text which tells the opeartions and history of certain gangs and organized groups from different ethnic groups and how they operate, recruit, and do their bussiness.

In Gangs And Their Tattoos: Identifying Gangbangers On The Street And In Prison, Bill Valentine draws upon his twenty years of experience as a line office for the Nevada Department of Prisons to create an informed and informative reference presenting an overview of street and prison gangs, including their history, structure and common tactics, as well as their 'official' codes of conduct. Also included are street and prison gang signs, code words, and most especially, their various skin tattoos associated as associated with each gang. Illustrations, sketches, and photographs vividly show sample gang tattoos, while the text carefully notes the origin of the most common symbols. Gangs And Their Tattoos is an accurate and very strongly recommended reference for law enforcement, sociologists, youth workers, and anyone else with an personal or professional interest in contemporary gang cultures in or out of prison.

As a federal law enforcement officer, I frequently encounter people entering the US illegally,not only from Mexico but also Central and South America. Being able to identify gang members quickly enables me to segregate and closely observe the individuals for any indication of hostile action. This book is a great source for identifying those persons who might have gang connections or other sociopathic tendencies.

I have found the book to be quite useful. The information is not up to the second, but it is a great starting point and reference.
It was shipped promptly and arrived in excellent condition.

Do you remember back in the late 80's early 90's when the friendly policeman would come to your middle school or high school and have a little chat with everyone about the evil gangs lurking everywhere around us? The "evil" goth gangs, the satanists, the cholos, the violent gangs of LA and Oakland. They always seemed to bring with them a stash of slides of tattoos, graffiti, and gang related paraphenalia that was to induce fear in us children in the midwest and surrounding areas. They would often misleadingly say things like, the satanists like to graffiti under overpasses, in drainage areas, etc, because it brings them closer to the devil... and often would say if you wear your pants baggy and like to wear oversized t-shirts you could be spotetd as a gang member... Well, misinformed, and somewhat misled, the tattoos within this book are not all gang related tattoos. The investigation regarding these markings isn't as thourough as you'd think, and very outdated. bummer.

this book covers alot of the different prison gangs and gives not only thier history but tat's warn by thier members. It is very informitive and shows both drawings and photos of ink behind the walls.

This is an amazing reference book if you're a tattooist. I know the slant of the book comes from law enforcement background, but if you're a tattooist this book is great for a little history lesson in gang tattoos as well as explaining some of the symbols that are commonly used. A fascinating read and an amazing window into prison life.