Boulay Case Sheds Light On Prison Marriages

CHICAGO (WBBM) - This is the day that 33-year-old Justin Boulay was freed from prison in Illinois, to go to Hawaii to join the wife he married three years ago while serving time for murder. Boulay is far from the only inmate who married behind bars.

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Illinois law says any prison inmate can marry - except Death Row inmates.

Department of Corrections Spokeswoman Sharyn Elman says it's not clear how many inmates have gotten married over the years. But she does have some figures from last year and this year.

"There's been approximately 15 marriages, and that breaks down to, we believe, approximately two females and the rest males, who have gotten married. It's a very rare in Illinois Department of Corrections for inmates to get married."

Elman says inmates cannot marry each other - they have to marry people from the outside.

"There's no parties.  There's no music.  It's not like a wedding we would think of.  It's just a ceremony that is very small and there's no guests invited or anything like that."

And no honeymoon.

"There is no such thing as conjugal visits.  There is no contact between the groom and bride, or husband and wife.  There is no physical contact."

The only inmates who can't marry are those on Death Row.