World of Roman Coyne

Author notes

Guide to slave marks

Romancoyne

on April 22, 2010

Original notes:
"To enable easy visual identification of slaves and prisoners so that they're not mistaken for free people, the Ministry of Servitude and Correctional matters has required the following identifying marks on the bodies of all slaves whether owned by the state, by companies or by individuals, as well as all prisoners serving life sentences in one of the Houses of Hard Labour. The only exceptions are people serving temporary sentences, a dwindling category of prisoners.

The following standards apply to a female slave or prisoner serving a life sentence. Standards for males will be shown later in the Guide.

Hair: To be worn loose, no braids or decorations.
Neck: To be collared with a sturdy steel brace with a loop on the front for use in a chain gang.
Chest: A brand or mark of ownership should be present in the middle of the chest, above the breasts, along with a serial number.
Nipples: To be pierced with metal rings.
Underbelly: A brand or mark of ownership should be present on the left sight of the underbelly, above the genitals.
Genitals: Pubic hair should be removed, and the outer labia should be pierced with a metal ring. This need not prevent access; this is left to the discretion of the owner or the management of the individual correctional institution.
Hips: A brand or mark of ownership should be present on the outside of the right hip, visible from the side.
Ankles: To be chained with strong steel cuffs. This is the only permanent restraint that is required as the slave or prisoner has to be able to do work.
Buttocks: A brand or mark of ownership should be present on the right buttock.

A few notes on the standards:
When the standards were introduced, they were unpopular with private slave owners as they interfered with their right to mark, chain or decorate their slaves as they pleased. However, since then, protests have died down and the standards have now near-universal acceptance.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not mandatory to keep slaves or even prisoners nude at all time, though this is very common. While the benefits of keeping an unfree person nude are considerable, nudity is neither a necessary nor a sufficient means to distinguish an unfree persom from a free one; indeed, this is why the marking standards were introduced in the first place. Also, unfree persons sometimes need to wear protective gear or distinctive uniforms. As long as at least one of each type of mark: cuff, piercing and brand, is visible, slaves can be issued clothing."