The photographer using his own prison experiences to document ex-inmates trying to re-adjust to life outside prison
Not many people would be willing to post their own prison mug-shot on the internet.
But the renowned American photographer Joseph Rodriguez did just that.
It was all part of his project on juvenile prisoners, as Rodriguez himself had served time in prison as a young man.
He managed to turn his life around by becoming a successful photographer - he often likes to say that his life changed from one of shooting drugs to shooting pictures.
But not everyone finds a way to break free from the cycle of offending.
His sentence informed a life-long personal interest in prison experience, and inspired his work documenting families on the wrong side of the law.
When Darlene Escalante (second on right) was a child, her father and mother were in prison at the same time. As an adult, Darlene was imprisoned and found herself there with her mother. This photo sees the family reunited for the first time after different prison sentences.
Joseph Rodriguez spent 12 months documenting gangs for his acclaimed book, East Side Stories: Gang Life in East LA.
And now for his latest project, called Re-entry in Los Angeles, he's back in California meeting ex-inmates trying to re-adjust to normal life outside prison.
Matthew Bannister spoke to Joseph Rodriguez to find out more about his life and photography.
To play this content JavaScript must be turned on and the latest Flash player installed.
´óÏó´«Ã½ © 2014 The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
