What Do Spider Web Tattoos Mean In Prison

Spider web tattoos have become a ubiquitous symbol in prison culture, used to symbolize multiple meanings. Many prisoners have spider web tattoos as a sign of their time spent in prison, signifying that they have “done the time”, or suffered the consequences of their criminal actions. Additionally, spider web tattoos can indicate either that a prisoner has committed a crime of violence, particularly a murder, or that a prisoner has spent a significant amount of time in solitary confinement. Spider web tattoos may also be chosen for the dark connotations associated with spiders, indicating a darkness and danger, or as a symbol of white supremacy. While the symbol has many meanings, those meanings can differ from prison to prison, or even from inmate to inmate, so it is difficult to definitively understand the significance of a particular web tattoo.