A man posting on Reddit under the username WindyWealth described a decision made during a stay in a psychiatric hospital that had far-reaching consequences: tattooing his wrist with the names and contact details of his sister, his treating doctor and his lawyer.
He said he was worried at the time about being left without help from loved ones in an emergency, and believed the tattoo would serve a practical purpose rather than simply decorate his body.
From hospital to prison
He said he thought he had created the world's first "utilitarian tattoo," rather than just a design on his skin. But his inability to function in society and ongoing problems with anger soon led him to prison, he said.
It was only once he was behind bars that he realised the danger he had put himself in. He said he found himself locked up alongside some of the most dangerous criminals, with his sister's phone number tattooed on his arm for any of them to see.
Years of long sleeves
According to his account, fear for his sister's safety forced him to wear long-sleeved shirts for years while incarcerated, giving up t-shirts entirely. He said not even the most extreme heat could change the habit, and that he spent years cursing himself for the tattoo.
Reddit, where the story was shared, is a large discussion platform organised into topic-based communities where users typically post under pseudonyms rather than their real names, which allows for anonymous first-person accounts like this one.
Covering it up
He said the first thing he did after his release was get a second tattoo to cover the first. He said the wrist now carries what he called a "shabby image of a lion" instead of something that could have compromised him and his family.
The account follows an earlier Reddit discussion in which former inmates of American prisons shared their views on whether it is possible to guarantee a safe stay behind bars. According to that discussion, many of the participants agreed that the most unexpected and unpredictable factors can end up determining an inmate's safety.
