An Iraqi soldier stands guard as a pipeline burns in the background after an explosion 30 kilometers (20 miles) northeast of Tikrit, Iraq, Monday, February 11, 2008. (Photo by Bassem Daham/AP Photo)
A man walks his dog through Los Berros Mountain in El Paso with the Cumbre Vieja volcano in the background, on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain, October 24, 2021. (Photo by Borja Suarez/Reuters)
A Virgin Atlantic passenger plane flies in the sky with the moon seen in the background, in London, Britain January 19, 2016. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)
Commuters by with the buildings of the banking district in background in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, February 6, 2020. (Photo by Michael Probst/AP Photo)
Pro-Russian activists attack policemen guarding the burned trade union building in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa on May 3, 2014. More than 30 people were killed in a “criminal” blaze in Ukraine's southern city of Odessa, as violence spread across the country during the bloodiest day since Kiev's Western-backed government took power. Ukraine's interior ministry said at least 31 people had died in the fire Friday, with local media reporting that pro-Russian militants were believed to have been in the burning building at the time. (Photo by Anatolii Stepanov/AFP Photo)
In this picture taken on September 24, 2016, relatives grieve their lost one, an alleged drug user/dealer gunned down by unidentified gunmen in Manila. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte defended his threat to kill criminals as “perfect” and vowed no let-up in his war on crime, as the death toll surged past 3,700. (Photo by Noel Celis/AFP Photo)
Tattoos are commonly used among criminals to show gang membership and record the wearer's personal history—such as his or her skills, specialties, accomplishments and convictions. They are also used as a means of personal expression. Certain designs have developed recognized coded meanings. The code systems can be quite complex and because of the nature of what they encode, the tattoo designs are not widely recognized.