The commercial reasons behind gang members getting tattoos

　　Depending on personal preferences and differences between gangs, these tattoo designs often vary. However, there are underlying reasons for choosing tattoos, and it is a very commercially minded practice.

　　Tom · Wainwright, a former correspondent for The Economist, told Business Insider: “There is an incredible economic reason behind these tattoos: tattoos allow gangs or syndicates to better control their subordinate members.”

　　“If you look at any gang in El Salvador, you will find many members tattooed from head to toe. Because of this, it is very difficult for them to find work elsewhere.”

　　“The Salvadoran gang”, also known asMS-13, typically have members whose bodies are covered in tattoos.

　　El Salvador and Honduras are strongholds for MS-13, and local prisons are filled with current and former gang members. Whether belonging to MS-13 or its primary rival ——, another major Central American gang faction Barrio 18, members bear tattoos indicating their loyalty.

　　Although the meanings of these tattoo motifs remain inscrutable to outsiders, gang members are intimately familiar with them. They help members recognise comrades and prevent members from getting lost.

　　Wainwright added: “These guys cannot find work anywhere else.” Their tattoos make it very difficult for them to abandon their original allegiance.

　　“Nor can they find work in rival gangs, so they are forced to remain in the gang they first joined. This reduces their bargaining power, allowing the gang to treat members however they please.”

　　As gangs gradually spread to areas with the strictest anti-gang law enforcement, such as the suburbs of Washington D.C., tattoos are no longer the absolute core of gang life.

　　As the government and society work hard to help members break free from gang control, “tattoo removal” programmes have also rapidly emerged.

　　However, for MS-13 and other gangs, proof of loyalty is paramount, and tattoos must not disappear.

　　Wainwright stated: “Gangs enforce tattoos so aggressively that I feel if you want to join a gang like MS-13 in El Salvador, it is impossible to do so without being tattooed.”