Reformed offenders reach audiences others cannot

Redeemed offenders can do good precisely because of their past: a former white supremacist can reach young proto-extremists in a way no one else can, just as the most effective anti-gang-violence programs recruit former gang members who command enough respect among the at-risk to actually be heard—so a person's capacity to broadcast healthy norms or do future good is part of what determines whether their reintegration is welcomed.