May 25, 2012
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Reporter: Malorie Maddox Email

Prison Wives

Imagine saying your "I Do's"...and your groom is wearing a prison jumpsuit. For some brides, they don't mind.

Mary Louis, and inmate's wife, says "It's not what I wanted for our wedding."

Mary married her longtime love, Mario, last March.They got married in the Nebraska State Penitentiary. The wedding only lasted 15 minutes.

Mary says, "Were were able to hold hands during the ceremony, we were able to kiss and that was about it."

Mary says leaving the prison alone that day was tough. On the outside, she takes care of their three children alone, without any financial support.

Mary says, "Between the kids and school and work, I just get too busy to think about the time."

But time, and Mary, is all Mario Louis thinks about. He says he feels guilty that she has to play the role of both mother and father.

Mario says, "I call and she's fixing the car. She's under the hood and I'm like, she's phasing me out of here."

This is Mario's second time in prison. He's in for, in his words, embezzling a lot of money. He was convicted in a check fraud scam.

He and Mary get a 15-minute call every night. Mario has to pay for the calls with money he earns in prison.

They also get two visits a week, but when the prison is in "lockdown," those visits don't happen.

Mary says, "You go anywhere up to a month where I can't see him."

Mary says the hardest part is taking the kids, and getting them through security to see their dad.

Despite the struggles--and the fact that up to 85% of prison marriages end in divorce--Mario and Mary say they will stay together.

Mary says, "There will be times during the day where I'm completely stressed out, and he'll call...and it just takes it all away. I just look at it like he's out of town."


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