Laser tattoo specialist offering free laser treatment to inmates, ex-gang members

A Winnipeg laser tattoo removal specialist is going behind bars to help inmates erase a painful reminder of a life they are trying to leave behind.

Della Steinke, owner of Mother Ink Tattoo Removal, has been offering the free laser treatment to ex-gang members, former inmates, and people looking for a new start for the past nine years.

“Everything else is a lot easier if you don’t have a gang sign on your face,” Steinke told CTV News Monday.

In October, Steinke received provincial and municipal funding for the first time – and recently, started providing the treatment to inmates incarcerated at Headingley Men’s Correction Centre (HCC).

“I’m going to guess we probably have somewhere in the neighbourhood of about 150 guys on the waiting list right now,” she estimated.

Steinke said prison tattoos are made from soot mixed with water or baby oil – and the recipients sometimes have no other option but to get inked.

“Some of them were forced to get these tattoos or some of them – most of them – are getting these tattoos inside jail as protection,” she explained. “You know, if you got a five-year sentence, wouldn’t you get a tattoo if that meant you were going to be safe?”

She said prison and gang-related tattoos can be a barrier for pepple wanting to reintegrate into the community following their release.

"But if you get rid of those tattoos and you come out and, you know, we can get you housing and a job and everything even before you walk out that door, then they're already ahead of the game,” Steinke said.

Steinke helps connect clients with a variety of social supports, primarily through Spence Neighbourhood Association.

She said the process of removing tattoos is painful, likening it to a burn, but said clients are grateful for a second chance.

“They get very emotional when they can actually see that starting to disappear, because they said when they look in the mirror every day, it's just a constant reminder of that past and the things they've done in the past that, you know, a lot of them regret.”

In an email, a provincial spokesperson told CTV News if the pilot project is deemed successful, it will consider expanding the program into Headingley Women’s Correctional Centre.