Reacting to a spouse's 25-year-to-life sentence

Alison Coleman, now 58, struggled to support her two children while her husband, Jay, served a 25-years to life sentence in a New York state prison for robbery—-the minimum
for anyone arrested a third time in New York under the Rockefeller Laws.

She grappled with social and emotional isolation, with illness and financial hardship, and she faced the tensions at home that are common between parents and teenagers…but she did so single handedly.

In this segment, Alison describes how she met Jay, how she reacted at his sentencing, and how she struggled to raise their special needs child during his incarceration:

Related:

Jay Coleman Previously in the series: Part I: A long journey from petty criminal to husband and father. Part II: Parenting by phone. Part III: Watching your children grow up from behind prison bars”>video interviews.

About Sandeep Junnarkar

Sandeep Junnarkar is the founder and editorial director of Family Lives Behind Bars.