. >> jermaine knight, a member of the crip street gang, is currently serving nine months on a conviction of unlawful wounding. at the time of his arrest, he was on probation for robbery and received an additional two years for violating his probation. knight says his dedication to gang life is not at all what it used to be. >> i haven't been in jail since i was 16. i've been a crip since i was 8. once you get in, you can't really get out. so i am what i am. but -- all these tattoos i got, they've got to go. all prison tattoos. glorify being incarcerated. being in gangs. >> while knight admits to a near lifetime of criminal behavior, he says he now wants to set a different example for his three young children and protecting his family is what led to his latest conviction. knight says he told some loud neighbors to quiet down. then one of them attacked him with a machete. >> the next thing i know, he hits me in the shoulder with the machete. crazy. he cut my face from here to there. 15 stitches in my face. cut my hand open. and i finally got the machete from him. i hurt him pretty bad. i a