Abstract
The need for a sense of belonging, safety, and purpose can serve as impetus to commit criminal acts often required for gang membership. As a result, individuals may become ensnared in a perpetual cycle of involvement with the criminal justice system. The issues faced by so many are at times presented as a mutually exclusive dichotomy leaving a gap between theory and real-world application.
In Out of the Red: My Life of Gangs, Prison, and Redemption, Dr. Christian Bolden integrates main tenets of core criminological and sociological theories, incorporating both experiences from his personal life story and excerpts from his gang research throughout. This autoethnography weaves theory and personal experience together in a way that is beneficial for all criminal justice system stakeholders. The introduction serves to outline the remainder of the text, noting that it is presented in three sections: Gangs, Prison, and Redemption.
In Part I, Gangs, the story begins with the author as a young boy going to elementary school. Due to frequent redistricting, he was moved between a middle-class school and one filled with gang activity. The conventional values and behaviors he learned were mostly replaced by the street code he had to adhere to for survival. In high school, the author realized gangs were where he fit in; accordingly, he describes—for example—gang initiation, the feeling related to a sense of belonging and acceptance, and having status. However, this association also had consequences, which culminated with the author’s arrest and sentencing to 8 years in prison at the age of 17. Throughout Part I, excerpts of interviews from Bolden’s research with gang members are included, adding dimension to his narrative. Slang terms are thoroughly explained and visuals are used to outline relevant territories and alliances, which facilitates the reading process.
Offering less in the way of direct theory application as compared to Part I, Part II, Prison, focuses on prison gangs, daily life, and correctional culture. He begins by detailing his experiences within the Texas Department of Corrections during the 1990s—especially concerning gang activities he was surrounded by. For example, he detailed one lockdown experience that devolved into a prison riot, which led him to engage in self-reflection. Accordingly, he realized that gang-related violence was taking a toll mentally and change was needed. His decision to leave the gang was met with a loss of both his friends and protection. Bolden addresses misconceptions about ways in which members can leave a gang while including excerpts from interviews that highlight members discussing their own reasons for desistance.
Set on this new trajectory, Bolden converted to Christianity and gained a new sense of belonging. He began writing and performing gospel raps, which precipitated his ascension to being a leader among the other Christian inmates. This new status did not mean he was able to avoid the negatives of prison culture, often convoluting decision making; and while the author reminds readers this is his personal experience, he could do more to explain how typical attaining status is for others. Ultimately, he credited religion for the change in his outlook, but the unwavering support from his mother was essential. The mantra that seemed to solidify the author’s change came from a prison instructor who said he could either accept his criminal label or be truly exceptional, there was no in-between. It was then that he “…made the decision…that [he] would be just that—exceptional” (p. 141). To exemplify this, he became eligible to enroll in college courses and achieved an associate’s degree just prior to being paroled.
Mechanisms conducive for survival in prison left the author largely unprepared for conventional adult life. Part III, Redemption, serves to document these struggles. More specifically, this section is a glimpse into the reentry issues that offenders face while also showing what it means to completely defy the odds. As an example, when imprisoned, most decisions had been made on Bolden’s behalf, so simple tasks—such as choosing a wardrobe—were overwhelming; furthermore, he quickly discovered that finding employment with a criminal record was nearly impossible. Upon release, however, he was able to reside with his mother and stepfather who did their best to help him adjust. After months of unsuccessfully trying to find employment, his stepfather got him a job as a bagger at a grocery store. After 6 months of working at the store, he was dismissed because of his criminal conviction despite having disclosed it at the time of hiring.
He enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program where he faced new challenges of fitting in on campus. This was largely complicated by a lack of conventional social skills necessary for engaging others. He found solace within the Criminology Department and successfully completed his degree—though his employment struggles continued. It was a mentor who told him, rather than merely suggesting, that he must go to graduate school. True to the preceding pages of the book, Dr. Bolden walks the reader through this chapter of his journey. He explains each of the moments that became instrumental to his success, but also how having people willing to help makes all the difference.
The lessons of this book are not only as direct as street culture, gang research, and theory but that of second chances and the ability to help in changing a punitive culture and system built on a trajectory of failure. Dr. Bolden achieves his goal of finding a balance between academic theory and real-world experiences. Readers without prerequisite knowledge of the topics covered will be able to easily follow and learn from the information presented, while those possessing a greater understanding of theory will be able to infer main tenets. Accordingly, it is well suited for undergraduate and graduate courses as well as for practitioners.
