Topic: A Broader View / prison-sanctioned tatoo program for inmates? Good or bad?

This an absurd idea. All you would be doing is giving an inmate a weapon to be used on either staff or other inmates. I would be more concerned about that than any other reason. We are at risk every day, at any given time to be attacked by an inmate with a shank, a pen, you name it. Why in the world would any officer want to hand them the same thing and use the excuse that it would cut down on disease!!?? As for reducing an officers risk for exposure to disease, I totally disagree. Tattoos are not the only reason these diseases exist. We knew going in, and are reminded yearly in training, the risk of exposure and possibly contracting these diseases. We treat every inmate as if they are infected. You will always risk being exposed to disease and blood. I was also involved in a Use Of Force years ago and did contract blood on me on or near a scab on my arm. I got so scared I couldn’t remember if it was in the scab. This inmate was active AIDS. Scared the heck out of me. I too went through the testing and praying. Giving tattoo guns to inmates will not cut down on disease. It will not reduce the risk of exposure to contaminated blood. It will only put more officer’s lives at risk from a weapon handed to them from the very people they are against. I agree with all the other reasons not to give them to them also.
And to the person who made the statement to the lady officer, I am a female officer. I’ve been in corrections for over 23 years! All that time I’ve worked at the same county jail. I’ve been a Lt. since 1998. Yes I do make regular rounds in the pods with the inmates, including maximum security inmates and I do it by myself a lot of times. Makes some of the male officers nervous, but I get paid to do the same job they do. I don’t appreciate the remark you made to her just because she is female!