Gilbert Bao
Independent Forensic Gang Expert | Substance Use Disorder Counselor | Crisis Intervention Specialist
Gilbert Bao is the Founder of StreetSmart Gang Consulting and a graduate of the Independent Forensic Gang Expert College at Loyola Law School. He is a Certified Substance Use Counselor II and Crisis Intervention Specialist with professional experience working in behavioral health, crisis stabilization, substance use treatment, and gang intervention services.
Mr. Bao brings a unique combination of professional training and lived experience tohis work. As a formerly gang-involved individual who served over two decades incarcerated within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), he has firsthand knowledge of gang culture, prison systems, trauma, substance use, violence, and the long-term impact of incarceration. During his incarceration, he was sentenced under California Penal Code 186.22 gang enhancements related to a gang-related shooting in Los Angeles.
Through personal transformation, education, and rehabilitation, Mr. Bao redirected his life toward service, advocacy, and professional consulting. Today, he works with attorneys, courts, schools, treatment programs, community organizations, and families to provide education, gang culture analysis, violence prevention strategies, mitigation support, and trauma-informed insight regarding gang involvement and pathways to rehabilitation.
StreetSmart Gang Consulting was founded on the belief that prevention, education, accountability, and healing are essential to reducing violence and creating safer communities. Mr. Bao’s work bridges lived experience with professional expertise to help individuals and systems better understand the complex social, psychological, and environmental factors connected to gang involvement.
Gilbert Bao also works along side other organizations dedicated to helping others: