Butterfly tattoos have a long and storied history in prison culture. The significance of the butterfly tattoo has changed over the years, but one thing is certain—it’s one of the most popular tattoos among inmates. The exact origin of the butterfly tattoo is unknown, though it is believed to have originated in the early 1960s. Many inmates who got the tattoo during this time were members of the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist prison gang. The butterfly was often used to signify loyalty among the gang’s members, as well as to show that the inmate was part of a brotherhood. Later, the butterfly tattoo was adopted by other gangs and prison subcultures, and soon it became a symbol of transformation and rebirth.