American Prison Tattoos is a photo story by Robert Gumpert that explores the meanings behind prisoners’ tattoos in Californian penitentiaries.
According to a 2006 PEW Research Center report, almost 4 in 10 between the ages of 18 and 40 are tattooed. Tattoos may be becoming the norm but before their surge in popularity, tattoos were the province of society's outcasts: sailors, artists, carnies and outlaws – acting as road maps of their lives: who they were, what they had done, their loves, desires, their sorrows and pains. 
                                 -Courtesy of Foto8



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To view the entire photo story with audio commentary by two of the inmates at foto8.com.