DE LA ADMINISTRACIÓN, CONTROL Y MANTENIMIENTO DE LOS VEHÍCULOS.

The first theme, environment/criminal involvement, emerged when the six participants described how the experiences of the environment can interfere with an ex- offender’s personal growth and well-being while they are transitioning back into the society after their release (Sampson, 2012). Each participant expressed how returning to their old neighborhoods that are associated with factors of criminal activity, gangs and drugs could influence criminal behavior. They described how the environment and mindset are related to ex-offenders transitioning from prison and returning back into the community. Related to this theme, the participants described their lived experience as outlined below:

P1: I think I was trying to get rent money. The decision I made, I guess I could say desperate times, desperate measures and I wasn't thinking. I didn't want my kids and family on the streets so I made that choice to sell and I guess that was a bad choice. It was a bad choice at the end of the day but that was mainly the reason why I ended up going to prison because I was trying to provide for my family.

P2: I think, again, when my stepfather step out- that is the point I have to return to. At every stage in my life, I have to return to that point because in my soul, I truly believe that is where I stepped away because I wasn't a child that was in the

streets. I was never into the streets until I got much older, probably about 18. That's when I started really, really getting off into the streets. Up until that point I was in school. I was always helping my stepfather. I was always with my mother always- she would pick me up sometimes. Stuff like that. I was always in the company of good people. It's just that once that separated, I had to find a role model and anything filled that void that was a male figure, particularly my oldest brother who was heavily into crime. Then I started to follow that. Then my youngest brother fell right behind me and I didn't realize the importance of role models until we'd got into the county jail together. Me and my brother in the county jail together. I asked him, I said, "Why are you in here?" He said, "I came here to try to help you." It hurt me so bad just to hear that.

I think once stepfather stepped away, my brother was constantly coming around. He’s talking about this and talking about that. Then I met a few guys. As I got a little older started meeting people and I think that the guys I met coupled with my own curiosity, because we can’t exclude ourselves totally. You’re part of it also. My own curiosity and my desire to want to experience things and to know things and to have things, because that’s probably with will. That’s why I got dragged into crime.

P3: Hmm. I guess, um, the, uh deeper you get into drug. My drug of choice was crack cocaine. Um, the more I did that drug takes over your body. And, it takes over to the point where is that, you wake up with it, you go to bed with it. I mean it really consumes you-it-it just totally consumes you. And um, that uh, when you

get into that, the, uh, um, you would almost do anything. So I would think that, um, your, um, it conscious leaping, uh, thinking ability to think rationally to make sound rational decisions actually leaves you. And I, uh, I can’t say who a one person won’t do or one person will do, but I can tell you what I’ve done. And uh, for me, I, I uh, for me to one day, uh, I wanted to get high and don’t spend all money. And I worked all weekend. It started out going into these stores and just taking stuff. Just shoplifting that’s the- as matter of fact I went to prison for it. P4: I was driving without a license, shoplifting, assisting with selling drugs, basically the things that I’ve done, grand larceny, stuff like that. I had a lot of friends I hung with when I wanted to do illegal stuff, like selling drugs, I was selling for my roommate. We lived together, and he’ll never say no to drugs. When I needed money, that’s when I would go out and do the shoplifting, driving and stuff like that.

I think it was an ongoing battle with me trying to get a hold of my addiction. It’s not like I really wanted to do it, but it was a situation where that basically was all I knew at that particular time. It was either selling drugs even though I had little payday and a job and what not. I didn’t use my finances to the best of my ability. I had to go out and do things in order to make money. The reason why the crimes I’ve done graduated because I kept doing them over and over and getting caught. P5: It was money. Like family, they really just had enough money for both food and clothing you know so started out selling downtown on the market. And from there, things started getting slow in that so, started selling drugs after that. Like I

said family problems, friends, the neighborhood I grew up in. Like, that’s all— Well, that’s all that was going on then. Kinda like that was like, the only way to survive, dealing with yourself. If your parents didn’t even got-got the cash to help you out and buy clothes for you, you know, so basically, had to resort back to the streets.

P6: Um, like I said, um, you know, due to me being raised in an adoption agency and experiencing what I was experiencing with my foster mom, um, I ran away at the age of 15, so, you know, you take a 15-year-old, um, you know, chances are you're not gonna find employment. Um, I didn't have a place to really live, so I was pretty much, you know, sleeping from couch to couch. Um, I had like a little place and, so, you know, I stayed over there for a while, but, you know, that-that didn't last long. And, um, you know, I was sleeping in, you know, abandoned cars or what have you. And, um, like I said, you know, um, nobody is really trying to give a 15-year-old a job, so, you know, you had to do what you do-- you had to do for means of, uh, survival, so, you know, I started off, um, you know, I had to clothe myself and feed myself. I started, you know, stealing in the stores, um, you know, whether it's close or, uh, grocery stores. Um, you know, I started breaking in people's cars, um, you know, just a few houses, things of that-- things of that nature and then, you know, it eventually led me to, um, you know, selling drugs, you know. So, um, that pretty much, you know, led to, you know, my

know, like in school and things of that nature, um, but, you know, it's I would say that's-that's what led to it pretty much.