She gives hope and encouragement — to women behind bars.
“I was raised in a very poor environment and was abused physically, mentally and sexually,” said Margie Gonzales. “My dream was to get out of that kind of life so I’d never have to experience that type of trauma again.”
Unfortunately, it took three years in the Ohio Reformatory for Women to realize that dream.
“I was trafficking drugs. I was a single mother trying to make ends meet. I tried to take a shortcut, make some ‘easy’ money. Easy money gets you hard time,” said Gonzales.
“After arriving at ORW, I faced the harsh reality that being incarcerated was the only way out of the destructive lifestyle I had created for myself. I was in a downward spiral, making bad decisions and living with an attitude that nothing bad was going to happen.
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“The slap on the face of being sent to prison was the unfortunate consequence that forced me to wake up, knowing I needed to make a change or I would be spending much more of my life behind bars.”