Do former gang members get jobs after prison?
The other day in the subway I saw a man with three teardrops tattooed under his eyes, it means he shot three people, he would be stigmatized in my mind, if he goes back to his community, I don’t see him getting a job. When it comes to employment there is a tremendous amount of stigma associated with having a prison record. Why hire an ex prisoner when there are plenty of non-criminals that need work? What works against gangs? Gangs are certainly a priority and a threat and a social problem. Law enforcement is important and people must know they must face the consequence of their actions. Can we arrest ourselves out of the gang problem? Apparently not, we have tried that for the past 10 15 years, jobs and education are certainly part of the puzzle. However, I was a policeman for 30 years and now I am an academic for 10, there are other things that can be done, and that we do not do: we do not want to invest in rehabilitation, we rely on the police, and put few resources into other types
