Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says “it makes them feel like they’re still serving”

In anticipation of Veterans Day, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez visited Friday a group of veterans who are incarcerated at the county jail.

The inmates are enrolled in the jail's re-entry program, which helps them become more stable before they are released and also provides them with mental health assistance if they need it.

The inmates are located in a specific section of the jail which they have decorated with the insignias of all the United States military branches and patriotic murals, like one that depicts an American eagle.

Additionally, the bedding materials and the bunk beds frames are red, white and blue.

Sheriff Gonzalez said that makes them feel better because “it’s almost like a military barrack that we’ve created there.”

“It doesn’t make it feel like they’re incarcerated,” Gonzalez added “it makes them feel like they’re still serving.”

Several inmates spoke with the Sheriff and other members of his staff about their experiences in the re-entry program and said it is helping them to gain focus and self-confidence.

Alejandro Hernández, who served in the U.S. Army, thanked the Sheriff for his visit and highlighted that because of the re-entry program “I know what I need to do to stay clean and sober, and I’m willing to do that today.”

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