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A Permanent Mark

Alex Bonebrake designed one of the nation’s first prison-based tattoo apprenticeship programs. Peek inside the studio where he prepares artists for post-incarceration careers.

Residents in the tattoo apprenticeship program practice their skills at Western Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center.

Formerly a full-time tattoo artist, Alex Bonebrake now supervises the tattoo apprenticeship program at Western Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center (WRDCC) in St. Joseph, Missouri. The program's exhaustive curriculum teaches residents the ins-and-outs of the industry — from drawing “flash” (pre-prepared tattoo designs), to trial runs on rubber practice skins to ultimately tattooing fellow residents. After logging 300 hours of tattooing — and completing CPR and bloodborne pathogen training — students are awarded Missouri tattooing licenses, empowering them to practice their craft upon release.

Take a look.

Improving Lives for Safer Communities

In the Missouri Department of Corrections, we foster public safety, health and wellness. We support victims and give back to people in need. We facilitate treatment, education and job training to equip justice-involved Missourians with the skills they need to contribute to the state’s communities, inside and outside our walls. About 96 percent of people who enter prison return to Missouri cities and towns. We want to make sure they're good neighbors.