El Salvador's violent gang members are finding God in prison

El Salvador's Security and Gang Crisis

• The country is currently experiencing extreme violence, with over 10 daily murders in the preceding year.
• Successive governments have relied on forceful crackdowns, resulting in overcrowded prisons and high recidivism.
• Gang membership is lifelong; leaving the gang is socially stigmatized and often results in execution by rival gangs or police.
• Rehabilitation programs for gang members are virtually non-existent.
• The crisis is linked to the exportation of U.S.-based gang culture; after 1996 deportation laws, thousands of MS-13 and 18th Street members were sent to El Salvador, eventually outnumbering the country's 16,000-person police force.

Wilfredo Gómez's Biography and Trajectory

• Gómez fled El Salvador in 1987 during the civil war, which killed one in 60 citizens and displaced one in four.
• In Los Angeles, he joined the 18th Street gang to survive, engaging in heroin trafficking and fighting rival MS-13 gangs.
• He served nearly 16 years in U.S. prisons, including incarceration for drug distribution and theft of a security guard's machine gun.
• In 1996, the Clinton administration passed laws mandating deportation for immigrants convicted of crimes carrying sentences over one year, leading to Gómez's return to El Salvador.
• Upon his return, Gómez was imprisoned again within three months for a 10-year sentence regarding the machine gun theft.

Prison Ministry and Conversion

• While in a cell housing 150 inmates, Gómez encountered evangelical Christians whose prayers led to his conversion to Christianity after 16 years of incarceration.
• In 2016, Gómez successfully persuaded the prison director to establish a segregated zone for religious inmates, offering better living conditions.
• The program grew from approximately 100 converts to over 900 inmates, though many converted for improved prison conditions rather than genuine religious faith.
• The ministry operates in an environment where prisoners are visibly marked with tattoos and sing praises to the Lord.

Post-Release Outcomes and Societal Challenges

• Gómez was granted parole in early 2017; a Christian group welcomed him with food and community support, providing a critical safety net upon release.
• Retention rates for converted gang members outside prison are extremely low; only seven former gangsters remain active church members on the outside.
• The primary barriers to staying out of the gang include a lack of legitimate employment prospects, poverty, and severe societal rejection.
• Former gang members face the unique paradox of being viewed as "next gang members" by society, making reintegration difficult despite the church's strict hierarchy and rules, which mirror gang structures.
• The long-term challenge identified is not the capacity for individual change, but whether society can create conditions allowing former gang members to permanently leave the gang lifestyle.