Book Review: Out of the red: My life of gangs, prison, and redemption

• Published date: 01 September 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/07340168211001915
• Author: Kristi L. Greenberg
• Date: 01 September 2024
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

References

Dion, K, Berscheid, E., & Walster, E. (1972). What is beautiful is good. Journal of Personality and Social

Psychology,24(3), 285–290. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0033731

Paternoster, R., & Iovanni, L. (1989). The labeling perspective and delinquency: An elaboration of the theory and an

assessment of the evidence. Justice Quarterly,6(3), 359–394. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418828900090261

Bolden, C. L. (2020).

Out of the red: My life of gangs, prison, and redemption. Rutgers University Press. 234 pp. $29.95. ISBN

9781978804524.

Reviewed by: Kristi L. Greenberg ,University of New Haven, West Haven, CT, USA.

DOI: 10.1177/07340168211001915

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 pre-

sented 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 pre-

sented 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 activ-

ity. 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 accep-

tance, 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 nar-

rative. 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 pro-

tection. Bolden addresses misconceptions about ways in which members can leave a gang while includ-

ing 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.

400 Criminal Justice Review 49(3)