HOUSTON — A sheriff’s department chaplain in Texas has found a new calling: removing tattoos for ex-offenders.
Wayne Heintze works for the Harris County Sheriff’s Department in Houston. He got the idea when he met a former gang member who was sure he would never get a job because of his tattoos.
Heintze sought training to learn how to remove ink from underneath skin. And earlier this year, he and his wife Francine bought a laser and opened a small clinic.
They offer a big discount to gang members, prostitutes, burglars and other ex-cons in exchange for community service.
Heintze says it’s almost as if he is “able to erase a chapter of their life.”
Tattoo removal is part of a jail program that also offers offenders drug and job counseling.