Content warning: The following story contains images and descriptions associated with white supremacist and gang culture. Reader discretion is advised.
WALLA WALLA — Jon Saunders is a scholar, counselor-in-training and an artist. The 42-year-old just graduated cum laude from Walla Walla Community College (WWCC), with an associate’s degree in human services while earning a spot among high-achieving students recognized by the college president for scholastic excellence. This fall, the WWCC alum is heading to the University of Nevada to pursue a master’s degree in counseling.
While these academic milestones are a major source of pride, Saunders says it was the educational journey itself that changed his life trajectory. Being exposed to new ideas became the spark Saunders needed to erase visible marks of hate from his past that were holding him back.
It also inspired him to turn his personal transformation into a monthlong public art exhibit at the college. Saunders’ exhibit, Lost and Found: Emerging from the Ink, documented Saunders’ journey of removing his prison gang tattoos through photographs and personal narratives. The exhibit ran at the college during the 2026 spring quarter.
“It gave me an opportunity to express myself,” Saunders said. “I wanted to show people that even though I messed up, I can still rise. If somebody is not happy in their situation I hope they can see me and use it as motivation to get where they want to be. Every person can change no matter what their situation is.”
What Led to the Tattoos
For years, Saunders had prominent white supremacist and neo-Nazi tattoos across his head, face and arms—symbols he acquired during his initial incarceration when he was 21.
Saunders is originally from Texas. He spent several prison stints in Texas before eventually moving to Washington state to be near family. He says during those early periods of incarceration, he felt trapped in a volatile environment, often getting into fights with other incarcerated individuals and prison staff.
Saunders describes himself then as “an angry kid,” whose rage was fueled by a history of mental health disorders, compounded by a prison system that lacked the programming to provide consistent help and treatment.
“I just kept lashing out,” Saunders said. That internal anger led him to join a violent, hate-based prison gang and get the tattoos to show his allegiance.
Over the years, Saunders found himself cycling in and out of prison—six times. Every time he released, he quickly learned the tattoos were arguably a greater hindrance to his reentry than his criminal record. While a criminal record is invisible unless disclosed or revealed in a background check, the hate symbols on his skin were impossible to hide. He remembers entering local businesses and restaurants, only to be immediately asked to leave.
But Saunders is quick to say he’s not looking for sympathy regarding those harsh reactions. He takes full ownership of the choices that brought him there.
“I brought that upon myself,” he said.
The cycle finally broke following his incarceration at the Washington State Penitentiary. He connected with the Washington State Department of Corrections’ Offender Reentry Community Safety Program, ORCSP, which was able to give Saunders consistent mental health treatment and assistance in creating a support system as he shaped his reentry plan.
“I didn’t have a chance before to work on personal growth,” Saunders said. “In Washington state, I was able to take a moment to reflect more cognitively. I was able to reflect on myself and decide that I want something different.”
Getting the Ink Out
“Something different” turned out to be college. After releasing from the penitentiary in 2023, Saunders decided to enroll in a few classes at WWCC.
One of those was an art class. His instructor, Daniel Forbes, had taken the class on a field trip to an art exhibit at a gallery at Whitman College centered on the theme of student activism and social justice. The exhibit featured images of students fighting for things like racial and gender equality and protesting war and structures of oppression. Standing in the gallery, Saunders experienced a profound epiphany: Social justice was the opposite of what the hate symbols on his skin represented. College gave him the opportunity to change his mindset, but he realized he also wanted to change the canvas on his body.
Determined to align his outward appearance with his inner transformation, Saunders connected with INK-OUT, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping youths and adults who want to remove gang-related tattoos.
Launched in 2013 through a partnership with community foundations, the Walla Walla Public School District and the community’s Health Center, INK-OUT helps provide support for advanced laser technology to perform tattoo removal services. While the organization covers the entire cost of the service for youth, adults pay a portion of the cost to remove their tattoos. Saunders began the process shortly after his release from the penitentiary.
Removing tattoos can be long and complicated, often taking months, depending on the size and type of ink used. The specialized machines emit short, high-density pulses of light that create a rapid acoustic shock wave, which shatters tattoo ink into tiny, sand-like particles. The body’s lymphatic system then processes and filters out the particles naturally through waste. Most tattoo removals require six to 12 sessions, with four to eight weeks between sessions to allow for scarring to heal. Because of the number, size and location of Saunders’ tattoos, he required roughly 30 sessions.
Recognizing the power of visual storytelling, Saunders partnered with his professor, who photographed the process. What began as an intense physical transition evolved into a collaborative piece of art displayed in the gallery at WWCC.
“It was great to be in that space and give my mind a chance to breathe,” Saunders said. “Looking back at those mug shots reminded me that even underneath I was lost and found. I lost myself in the penitentiary, but I found myself in a space that allowed me to blossom into the person that I really am.”
Today, Saunders is using his lived experience in the criminal justice system as a catalyst for change. He’s turning the content from the art exhibit into educational presentations to share with community groups, schools and other correctional organizations. After graduating from the University of Nevada, he wants to start a non-profit organization that counsels justice-involved youth.
Saunders says he’s living proof that personal change and accountability are within reach.
“As aggressive as those tattoos were, they’re in the past,” Saunders said. “Now I am free. I wanted to be part of the community. I am part of the community, and I have the potential to reach a lot of people. And now when people look at me, they can speak to me and see kindness.”
View more photos of the exhibit on the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin’s Instagram.
