The Gang Awareness and Prevention Program (GAPP) was developed by Principal Investigator Ron Holvey of the New Jersey Department of Corrections' Special Investigations Division, Intelligence Section, in response to the all-pervasive gang problem, and its proliferation among youth, in urban and suburban areas. Working in concert with the state's Division of Criminal Justice, Holvey came up with the idea of bringing former gang members, still incarcerated, to young people throughout the state, much in line with the premise of Project PRIDE.

Criteria for the speakers are simple. A young man must successfully complete the Security Threat Group Management Unit program at Northern State Prison in Newark and have earned minimum custody status to permit his being allowed out of the prison.

"I pitched the idea to 12 inmates who met the standards," Holvey says, "and while all initially seemed enthusiastic, over the weeks, those 12 dwindled to one -- Jose."

And while that is not his real name, Jose's gang experiences are frighteningly authentic.

Recruited by a gang at age 15, Jose has renounced his membership, but not his memories, which he shares candidly several times a week to law enforcement groups, civic associations and his target audience -- the young people of the Garden State.

There are only two questions Jose will not answer -- his real name and the name of his former gang. Everything else is fair game, and on a recent morning in Plainfield High School, he fielded the gamut of inquiries, from jail rape to the name of his barber.

"There is no such thing as a stupid question," Jose replies after a ninth grader asks if he misses his mother.

A self-professed "knucklehead" in his younger days, Jose defies the stereotypical "gang banger" in that he comes from a loving family and, most importantly, survived to such an "advanced" age.

"You won't see many gang members like me" Jose tells his young audience. "Most are in the cemetery."

Holvey concurs -- and he should know. Commencing his career at New Jersey State Prison nearly a quarter-century ago, Holvey joined the Special Investigations Division in 1988. When it became apparent that gang violence on the street would soon find its way into the prisons, Holvey set to work developing a strategy to contain, subdue and weaken gang activity. To that end, the Security Threat Group Management Unit was initiated in 1998 at Northern State Prison. The theory -- divide and conquer -- is not a novel one, but it has proven to be an effective medium to deal with core gang members.

Utilizing a database that records tattoos, colors and other gang indicators, Holvey and his team can discern gang members who were the leaders, and therefore the most dangerous, and isolate them from potential recruits. The result? An 84 percent reduction in group demonstrations, a 42 percent decrease in staff/inmate assaults and safer, more secure institutions. Holvey notes that it is a testament to the department's staff that every one of the inevitable lawsuits brought by inmates sequestered in the Security Threat Group Management Unit was won by the NJDOC in court.

With the decrease in violence and the legal viability of the program, other states began to adopt similar models for their prisons. Holvey has traveled to California, New York and numerous venues in between to share his experiences and expertise with law enforcement agencies. When approached by the Attorney General's Office to contribute his proficiency to its gang prevention initiative geared to New Jersey's young people, the idea for GAPP was born.

One measure of GAPP's success is that the department recently received a federal grant of $145,000 for the expansion of the program.

Another measure, of course, is the impact on the children who hear the presentation by Holvey and Jose.

"I'm not a bad student, but sometimes I react before I think," one student remarks after the program. "Jose helped me to realize that a gang cannot only ruin, but end your life."

Says another: "Jose kept it real with us and didn't withhold any information when we asked him questions."

Perhaps Jose puts it best.

"There comes a time to grow up, to listen, to try to make amends to everyone I have hurt -- especially my family," he says. "By talking to these kids, and trying to make them see that gangs are not the answer, not the security, not the respect they need, maybe I can make a difference. Maybe one less mom will have to stand over the grave of a teenaged son or daughter who has been gunned down. Maybe a kid who was considering joining a gang reconsiders and becomes a doctor. Who knows? I feel good about the program, good that I'm doing something worthwhile."