Integrating back into society with a criminal record is no easy feat. Homeboy Industries is an LA-based gang intervention program that looks beyond the felony and acknowledges that everyone should be given the chance to learn, work, grow and have a fulfilling life.
Since launching in 2001, they’ve become one of the most successful re-integration programs in the country. Through educational, workforce development, and mental health programs, Homeboy Industries takes 10,000 folks under their wing every year and show them a productive path forward.
Many of those who run this program were previously incarcerated themselves and understand firsthand the difficulty of reintegrating. Some were addicts or gang members, and others just never had the resources to leave the underserved communities they grew up in.
“Nothing worked until I was welcomed into this community of love, family, kinship. Stuff that I’d never been really able to experience,” Emily Chapa, a former longtime addict, told ABC News. Now she works as a substance abuse counselor for Homeboy.
Even from an economic standpoint, reducing recidivism makes sense. If we funneled the money that’s spent on inmates towards programs that support formerly incarcerated folks and help them reintegrate back into their communities we’d save money. Homeboy has helped programs in other parts of the country succeed too. Their innovative approach to systems of support and mentorship is balanced with letting communities decide what works best for them. Their founder, Reverend Greg Boyle, told Fresh Air, “If you’re humble, you’ll ask the poor, what would help you? But if you’re led by hubris, then you tell the poor, here’s what your problem is; here’s how you fix yourself.” Watch their new documentary:
