A program that works to remove tattoos from inmates and former gang members in Manitoba is hoping to expand to more correctional facilities in the province.
Mother Ink Tattoo Removal helps former inmates and gang members prepare for life beyond bars, by removing tattoos tied to gangs or traumatic pasts.
Owner Della Steinke started doing tattoo removals while working in a halfway house about a decade ago, before starting the program.
“I was noticing that a lot of the guys were coming out of prison and weren’t wanting to leave the yard, and it’s like, ‘Well, you’ve been locked up for three or four years, why don’t you want to go anywhere?’” Steinke said.
“And then they started telling me that they were scared to leave because they would get jumped back into their old gang or a rival gang because they had very visible tattoos either on their neck or on their face or their hands.”
About a month and a half ago, the program expanded into prisons. Steinke started going into the Headingley Men’s Correctional Centre to do tattoo removals, and is believed to be the only person in Canada doing so. She goes one day a week, doing tattoo removal for about 10 to 15 inmates a day.
She says they also provide mentorship services and offer supports to inmates for after their release, including help with finding employment, housing and detox services. She also hopes to soon expand and start doing work inside other prisons inside Manitoba, including Headingley Women’s Correctional Centre and Stony Mountain Institution.
“There’s so many different reasons why they got those tattoos in the first place. I mean, whether it be that they were 15 years old and just made a mistake and their boyfriends were basically forcing them to get their names tattooed on their face,” Steinke said.
“Another reason (is) they went into prison, they had no tattoos, and they came out fully loaded, because the more tattoos they got with gang symbols, the more they felt like they were protected inside prison.”
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Steinke says removing tattoos that have connections to gang activity or a traumatic past not only helps people with getting a new lease on life, but also helps them emotionally.
“It becomes a game changer in the options they have when they walk out those doors,” said Andrea Nagasaka, Steinke’s sister who also volunteers with Mother Ink.
“It can be traumatic for the person who wears it, and it’s a daily reminder of a life they no longer want to be associated with.”
Steinke partners with Const. Michelle de Groot, a gang prevention co-ordinator with the Winnipeg Police Service.
“Not only is Della taking these tattoos off ex-gang members, she’s giving them a new sense of life,” de Groot told Global News.
“She’s helping them with whatever they might need. Any barrier to prevent them from going back to that gang life.”
Tattoos tied to trauma
Jenna Mallette first learned about Mother Ink from a prison guard while she was incarcerated at Headingley Women’s Correctional Centre for drug-related charges.
Mallette is now out of prison and living in a halfway house. She goes regularly to see Steinke, hoping to remove tattoos tied to trauma in her past.
“It was just a constant reminder of what happened,” Mallette said. “So I’m hoping that removing it will be able to help me finally stay clean, stay away from all the bad things, and hopefully start over.”
“I’m so thankful for this,” she added. “Because every other time I’ve tried to get clean, get my life together, I’ve fallen off the rails because of stuff that reminds me of things that happened in the past. So I’m hoping this will help me be able to move forward.”
Lavina Delorme has a similar hope. She’s in the process of removing a tattoo on her face.
“When I was younger, I got into trying to be cool and doing drugs and drinking with my friends, and that kind of led up to wanting to do all these stupid tattoos,” Delorme said.
Delorme is also currently living in a halfway house and is currently going through training to become an addictions and community health worker.
“I want to kind of erase that part of my past,” she said. “When I do look at it, I think of all the bad memories, some of the bad stuff that I’ve done growing up.”