His mother’s tears ‘shattered’ him, but her words changed his life in prison forever

The first time a Massachusetts man saw his mother cry was when he returned to the state to face the consequences for killing a cab driver.

“It shattered me,” Allen Alston said.

Despite being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, his mother encouraged him to better his life.

So, he did.

He got his GED, has read countless books, joined groups in the correctional facility, continues to work out, has had jobs in the facility and has never been part of a fight or displayed any acts of aggression in prison.

“I wasn’t going to let my one mistake define who I was,” he told the Massachusetts Parole Board on July 2.

Now, his hard work is paying off as he’s getting a second chance outside prison walls.

Alston, 47, appeared in front of the Massachusetts Parole Boa