Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González / Texas Border Business
McALLEN, Texas — Pastor Milton Luis Gonzalez delivered the keynote address at “Rebuilding Futures, Advancing Second Chances,” an April 28 event hosted by South Texas College and the City of McAllen to promote second chances for people leaving jail or otherwise impacted by the justice system.
Gonzalez spoke before two panel discussions focused on employment, education, and policy barriers facing people with criminal records. He told attendees that rehabilitation requires more than simply being released from jail or prison. “If their thinking doesn’t change, many will find their way back into the system,” Gonzalez said.
The event brought together community leaders, policymakers, and advocates to send a message that people who have served their time should have a path to rebuild their lives through education, work, and community support.
Gonzalez said his work with men in a halfway house showed him that many people leaving incarceration carry harmful internal messages from childhood. He recalled asking men whether their fathers had ever told them they would end up in prison. “All of them always said yes,” Gonzalez said.
He said education is important, but not enough by itself. “There needed to be a transformation,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez linked incarceration patterns to adverse childhood experiences, including abuse, addiction, incarceration, or instability at home. “If we don’t manage to change their narrative, they will simply repeat the same story,” he said.
He said successful rehabilitation requires mental health support, education, employment, relationships and purpose. Those supports, he said, help people “deconstruct and reconstruct identity.”
“When narratives change, identity changes,” Gonzalez said. “And when identity changes, behavior follows.”
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