Tatiana Santollo, MA, MSL.
National Initiative Director of Second Chance Freedom Initiative
Email: tatiana.santollo@texasprisonsalliance.org.
I created the Second Chance Freedom Initiative through Texas Prisons Alliance to provide formerly incarcerated individuals with a meaningful platform to share their personal journeys, lived experiences, challenges, growth, and successes after release. These real-life stories are powerful because they allow incarcerated individuals to hear directly from people who have walked similar paths and are now navigating life in the free world.
Through filmed podcasts and personal testimonies shared on Edovo, Second Chancers provide encouragement, education, guidance, and hope to incarcerated individuals across the nation. By openly discussing the realities of reentry, including employment, housing, family reunification, supervision, accountability, setbacks, and personal growth, they help prepare others for what they may face before and after release.
This initiative is an important part of reentry because preparation can make a significant difference in reducing the rate of recidivism. When incarcerated individuals are better informed, encouraged, and connected to real-life examples of change, they are more likely to return home or back into society with realistic expectations, stronger decision-making skills, and a greater sense of purpose. The Second Chance Freedom Initiative shows that success after incarceration is possible with accountability, support, education, and perseverance.
At Texas Prisons Alliance, we are committed to public service, rehabilitation, reentry support, and creating opportunities for individuals to become productive members of society. I am incredibly proud of each Second Chancer and the progress they have made in their reentry journeys thus far.
If you are interested in becoming a Second Chancer, please email me.
Advisory Council Member-Lead
Joshua Fuentes
Joshua, has lived experience, professional recovery support training, and a deep commitment to reentry advocacy to the Second Chance Freedom Initiative.
As a Recovery Support Peer Specialist, Prison Consultant, and founder of R.I.P. (Reaching Inside of Prisons), Joshua has dedicated his work to helping individuals and families navigate incarceration, recovery, and the transition back into the community.
With experience in reentry advocacy, pre-incarceration consulting, family support, behavioral coaching, and sobriety planning, he offers practical guidance and compassionate support rooted in real-life understanding.
His certifications in Recovery Support Peer Services, SMART Recovery facilitation, anger management, suicide prevention, and victim impact training further strengthen his ability to mentor, encourage, and equip justice-impacted individuals with the tools needed for restoration, accountability, and long-term success.
Advisory Council Member
Kaleigh Sitz
Kaleigh, brings real life experience, resilience, and firsthand insight into the challenges of incarceration and reentry to the Second Chance Freedom Initiative.
Having recently been released from prison and previously serving with Texas Prisons Alliance on the inside as an Inside Ambassador, Kaleigh understands both the realities individuals face while incarcerated and the barriers they encounter when returning home.
Her experience gives her the ability to connect with justice-impacted individuals in a meaningful and authentic way, while offering encouragement, peer support, and a voice of hope for those working toward change.
Through the Second Chance Freedom Initiative, she can help strengthen mentorship, reentry support, advocacy efforts, and communication between formerly incarcerated individuals, families, and support networks, making her a powerful asset in promoting restoration, accountability, and successful reintegration.
Advisory Council Member
Charles Hill
Charles Hill is a passionate advocate for the incarcerated, driven by his own lived experience of serving over 12 years in prison. He believes that education is the most powerful tool for rehabilitation, because it transformed his life.
Through earning his Bachelor’s in Humanities and pursuing his Master’s, he discovered a world beyond his circumstances. Education helped him mature, grow, and develop into a well-rounded individual, giving him the clarity to understand the world around him and find genuine peace.
His mission is to ensure that every person behind bars has access to that same transformative power, because an educated mind is the foundations to rebuilding life.
Advisory Council Member
Penny Dutton
Penny Dutton is a volunteer member of the Texas Prison Alliance dedicated to supporting individuals transitioning from incarceration back into the community.
She is passionate about rehabilitation, recovery support, and helping connect people with stable housing opportunities through Oxford House programs.
Through advocacy and community outreach, Penny works to encourage second chances, accountability, and long-term success for individuals rebuilding their lives.
Advisory Council Member
George Helms-Veteran
George Helms brings a powerful voice of lived experience, resilience, accountability, and transformation to the Second Chance Freedom Initiative. After serving 16 ½ years in the Texas prison system on a 20-year non-aggravated sentence, George understands firsthand the realities of incarceration, parole, reentry, family separation, institutional culture, and the emotional toll of being denied parole year after year.
When George entered TDCJ in 2007 at 32 years old, newly divorced and facing an uncertain future, he made a personal commitment to become better and to make a positive impact wherever he was placed. During his incarceration, he became a Peer Educator, taught classes, trained others to become Peer Educators, and completed every program available to him, not for appearance, but for genuine personal growth. At the Billy Moore Unit, he also served as a Unit Artist and helped create a community-impact art program, using creativity to support local schools, retirement homes, and city holiday projects with the support of unit leadership. Through education, service, and art, George worked to influence the culture around him in a positive way.
Since his release on parole in March 2024, George has faced many of the barriers that justice-impacted individuals encounter, including SISP monitoring, placement in a halfway house, unexpected SOTP requirements, financial pressure, housing instability, limited resources, and the fear of returning to prison despite doing everything required of him. His transition from Houston parole supervision to the Temple Parole Office also gave him a deeper understanding of how reentry experiences can vary drastically depending on location, resources, and supervision practices.
Today, George is continuing to rebuild his life with purpose. As a veteran, he is receiving medical and mental health support through the VA, pursuing a BFA in Animation and VFX through the Academy of Art University, and working toward successful completion of parole. His journey gives him the ability to speak honestly about incarceration, parole, reentry, trauma, healing, education, family restoration, and the importance of real second chances.
Through the Second Chance Freedom Initiative, George can contribute mentorship, advocacy, creative programming ideas, and meaningful insight into the needs of youthful offenders and long-term incarcerated individuals. His story shows that people are capable of growth, change, service, and leadership when given the opportunity and support to rebuild.
Advisory Council Member
Angel Ahern
Angel brings lived experience, resilience, faith, and a deeply personal understanding of incarceration, addiction, recovery, family separation, and reentry to the Texas Prisons Alliance Second Chance Freedom Initiative.
After experiencing incarceration firsthand, Angel returned home determined not simply to start over, but to rebuild her life with purpose. She understands that freedom does not automatically remove the barriers created by incarceration. Returning home can mean rebuilding employment, housing, finances, relationships, family connections, recovery support, and personal stability all at the same time. Her own reentry journey has given her firsthand insight into both the challenges justice-impacted individuals face and the importance of having meaningful support while navigating them.
Angel’s relationship with Texas Prisons Alliance began before her release. While incarcerated, She would watch the Second Chance Freedom Initiative, wanting the opportunity to give back to others upon her release.
Recovery is a central part of Angel’s life and her commitment to helping others. Her own experience with addiction and recovery has taught her that lasting change requires accountability, community, consistency, and hope. Since returning home, she has remained active in the recovery community, including involvement with Oxford House and peer-support environments. She believes people should be held accountable for their choices while also being given genuine opportunities and resources to become something greater than their past.
Angel’s faith has also played a significant role in her transformation. During incarceration, she reconnected with God and began developing a stronger spiritual foundation that continues to guide her life today. Since returning home, she has remained involved with her church and community, using faith, service, and fellowship as important parts of her continued growth and recovery. For Angel, rebuilding is not about pretending the past never happened. It is about allowing the lessons of the past to become part of a life built differently.
Her passion for advocacy is especially personal when it comes to families and children affected by incarceration. Angel understands the pain of family separation and the complicated process of rebuilding relationships after incarceration. Her experiences navigating family, custody, and child-welfare systems have strengthened her desire to help families remain connected, understand available resources, and navigate systems that can often feel overwhelming. She believes successful reentry affects more than the individual returning home. It can help restore families, strengthen communities, and interrupt cycles that otherwise continue into another generation.
Through the Second Chance Freedom Initiative, Angel hopes to strengthen recovery and reentry support, family advocacy, mentorship, and connections between incarcerated individuals, their loved ones, and the communities they will return to. She wants those still incarcerated and those newly returning home to understand that their worst chapter does not have to become the title of their entire story.
For Angel, serving on the Texas Prisons Alliance Advisory Council represents a powerful full-circle moment: from serving as an Inside Ambassador while incarcerated to using her voice on the outside to advocate for the people still behind the walls and those learning how to rebuild after coming home.
Advisory Council Member
Jory Carrasco
Jory Carrasco brings a powerful lived-experience perspective to the Texas Prisons Alliance Second Chance Freedom Initiative. Having personally experienced incarceration and addiction, Jory understands the hopelessness, fear, and uncertainty that many individuals face when trying to rebuild their lives after prison. He knows what it feels like to lose confidence, question personal worth, and believe that past mistakes may forever define the future.
Jory’s life began to change when he made the decision to educate himself, transform his mindset, accept responsibility for his choices, and pursue a vision greater than his circumstances. Through perseverance, personal growth, and a commitment to living with purpose, he discovered that his past did not have to determine his future. His journey is a reminder that lasting change is possible when a person is willing to take accountability, seek healing, and move forward with determination.
Today, Jory’s mission is to support men and women returning home from incarceration by offering encouragement, mentorship, and guidance as they navigate the challenges of reentry. He is passionate about helping second chancers understand that they are not alone and that someone is willing to walk beside them as they rebuild their lives, restore their confidence, and work toward a successful future.
Jory also recognizes the serious impact that addiction, depression, and unresolved trauma can have on individuals both inside and outside of prison. His goal is to help others find hope, embrace recovery, heal from their past, and understand that their mistakes do not define who they are. Through faith, determination, accountability, and the right support system, Jory believes every person has the opportunity to overcome the storm, begin again, and build a meaningful, productive, and purpose-driven life.
Advisory Council Member
Tyson Schimcek
Tyson is dedicated, compassionate, and purpose-driven professional who believes that integrity, accountability, and treating people with dignity are the foundation of meaningful work and meaningful relationships.
He takes pride in being someone others can depend on, approaching challenges with determination, communicating with honesty, and striving to leave every person and every environment better than he found it. He values continuous growth, genuine connection, and the belief that professionalism and compassion should always coexist.
Beyond my professional life, Tyson is deeply committed to supporting and uplifting his LGBTQIA2S+ community and advocating for the dignity, humanity, and right to be loved of incarcerated individuals.
He believes in the transformative power of love, second chances, and seeing the person beyond the circumstances surrounding them. Whether professionally or personally, He tries to lead with empathy, stand up for what he believes is right, and use my voice to encourage understanding, acceptance, and positive change.
Advisory Council Member
Eduardo "Lalo" Velasco
Eduardo “Lalo” Velasco is from Houston, Texas. At the age of 48, he has experienced incarceration within the TDCJ system four times. After being granted parole following four years served on a 20-year sentence, Eduardo began taking a serious look at himself, his choices, and the direction of his life.
Through that reflection, he came to understand that change can be difficult to accept or even acknowledge, but it is also a choice that must be made in order to grow as an individual. Rather than looking at the past with regret, Eduardo believes it should be viewed as a chapter filled with wisdom, lessons, and opportunities for personal growth.
As a Second Chancer, Eduardo looks forward to sharing his experiences with future leaders, advocates, and mentors who are currently incarcerated. He believes that a change in mindset, lifestyle, and overall outlook on life can allow the greatness within each person to shine through.
Eduardo is grateful for the opportunity to encourage and assist others as they prepare for new beginnings. His message is simple: keep the faith, stay strong, and continue moving forward on the journey toward change and a better future.
Advisory Council Member
Matthew Resendez
TBA
Re-Entry Resources Support Division
Director of Re-Entry Resource Support Department
Bethanie Fierro
Re-entry Resources Support Services
Texas Prisons Alliance offers comprehensive re-entry support through our dedicated division. We provide tailored assistance to incarcerated individuals nearing release or those who have already been released from prison, regardless of gender. Our resources include access to felon-friendly employment opportunities, housing assistance, educational programs, and more.
Ultimately, the Texas Prison Alliance is committed to breaking the cycle of recidivism by equipping ex-incarcerated individuals with the tools, resources, and mentorship necessary to build a foundation for success in their post-prison lives. Through their multifaceted approach, the organization strives to foster positive change and contribute to a more inclusive and supportive community for those seeking to reintegrate after serving their time.If you need Re-entry assistance please go to our "Request for Assistance" tab on this website and someone will contact you within 24-48 hours.