One day, Belinda's dad sat behind other proud parents at her high school graduation in San Diego, California. Weeks later, he sat behind prison bars.
"A lot of changes were happening, and we were just in survival mode," recalls Belinda, who was 17 when her father went to prison. Now she's 32. She'll never forget that first summer without Dad at home.
As a teen, Belinda had planned to attend college in New York, but she didn't feel comfortable leaving her family while Dad was away. Mom was juggling two jobs and three kids. Gas was expensive, so visits were sparse by the time Dad was transferred to a prison farther from home. Times were tough.
