A Gang for Good

Whenever formal discussions take place on the problem of crime and the effectiveness of the criminal justice system, there is usually one distinct group left out of the dialogue.  Prisoners and ex-prisoners—the very people who have experienced the system and suffered the consequences of their own criminal behaviour--are seldom given the opportunity to have any input on how things could be improved.

It was with this in mind that PF New Zealand invited reformed members of the Notorious chapter of the infamous Mongrel Mob to their 2006 conference, Beyond Retribution- Advancing the Law and Order Debate.

Nineteen tattooed and leather-clad reformed gang members took their places along side political leaders, members of the judiciary and criminal justice professionals to debate and discuss the problems with the current criminal justice system in New Zealand and explore the possible solutions.  Ten years prior, these nineteen men, along with eight other members of their gang, made a decision to turn their lives around and become productive members of their communities.  Of the 27 members, only two have returned to prison during those 10 years.

They spoke to the conference attendees of their commitment to their families and their strong desire that their own children will not follow in their former footsteps of crime and incarceration.  They shared stories of how their own mistakes and misfortunes had led them to become gang members.  Some were abused as children, others taken from their families and sent to juvenile detention homes because of a theft, and still others fallen prey to drug addiction.

Their transformation from a life of crime began 10 years ago, when Roy Dunn, the gang chapter’s leader, had a conversation with Sam Chapman, a Christian community activist and founder of Project AWHI, a reconciliation ministry.  Introduced by a mutual friend, Roy said to Sam, “Bro, we want to change, but we don’t know how.”  Through Sam’s help and the support of the community, he and the majority of his gang have made positive changes in their lives.  Their stories of transformation provided the conference participants with unique insight into what triggers people to commit crimes and what can help them to change.

But despite their compelling stories, there were some sceptics at the conference who doubted that these former gang members could really maintain such positive changes in their lives.  “They described the presentation as a ‘con job’,” says Kim Workman, National Director of Prison Fellowship New Zealand, “and refused to accept that within the gang criminal culture, there existed a chapter that was committed to change their ways, to adopt pro-social values and to lead their children to a better future.”

To prove the cynics wrong, PF New Zealand invited the reformed gang members back to its 2007 conference to report on their progress one year later.  Roy Dunn returned to give a presentation on his chapter’s activities over the past several months.  The chapter had secured a Maori health education contract and were encouraging good health in the community by promoting awareness of the need for child immunization, hepatitis, diabetes and respiratory disease.  Another group had started a successful graffiti elimination project in Manurewa.  Many of the members had been involved in conflict mediation between competing youth gangs following two gang-related murders.

The chapter had provided hundreds of hours of voluntary labour; building, painting and digging for a new day care centre that will help low-income families.  The reformed chapter of the Mongrel Mob have been credited with making this new state-of-art building possible and they were invited to the grand opening of the centre.

After hearing from Roy and the other members at the conference, no one could now question the remarkable transformation that had taken place in these men.  “Many of the gang members have rebuilt their lives through coming to faith in Christ,” comments Kim.  “That happened not by overt proselytizing, but through the Christian example of people like Sam Chapman and others, who held out an unconditional hand of love to them.”  Kim notes that New Zealand research indicates that of those who turn-away from gang life, more than half do so as a result of becoming Christian.

 “In recent years, these Mongrel Mob members have been able to exert moral authority over the wider membership,” says Kim, “and not only encourage members to desist from illegal activity, but encourage them to participate in the mainstream community.”

Kim notes that when the Mob members came to the PF conference a year ago, they kept to themselves and ate away from the other conference attendees.  Things were different at the 2007 conference as the members freely mixed with other conference participants and conversed with judges, parliamentarians and corrections staff.  “The final hurdle for them all is to overcome not only stigmatization, but the fear of stimatization,” says Kim.

Gangs are often the most feared among criminals, because the damage they can do to a community as a group can be far more devastating than that of just one offender on his own.  But PF New Zealand has clearly demonstrated that gang members are not beyond redemption.  And once redeemed with God’s help, the good they can do in a community can be multiplied as well.