Pennsylvania Department of Corrections launches prison tattoo apprenticeship

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is launching a tattoo apprenticeship program at SCI Frackville in Schuylkill County. The initiative aims to provide incarcerated individuals with in-demand vocational skills to assist in their successful transition back into the community following release.

The department is currently seeking a professional tattoo artist with at least three years of professional and supervisory experience to lead the program. The instructor will provide between 32 and 40 hours of weekly instruction. The curriculum will cover art and design, equipment techniques, studio operations, customer communication, and essential sanitation practices to reduce health risks associated with illicit tattooing.

Participants will progress from classroom instruction to practicing on paper and synthetic skin. They may only advance to supervised tattooing on human skin after demonstrating required competency and receiving approval from the Department of Corrections. The program is inspired by a similar apprenticeship model at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Delaware.