Prison Beauty Contests: Winner Gets Early Release

I had no idea this existed until today, and it’s fascinating to me. I know I’m naive when it comes to what prison life is like, but in the past when I’ve pictured a women’s prison in my mind, I never thought of the inmates as being as beautiful and having as much fun as the beauty contest contestants in these pictures.

As it turns out, in several different countries around the world, the prisons hold annual beauty contests. In some of them, the winner gets a cash prize. In others, like a prison in Siberia, she gets an early release. Depending on where the prison is, the winner gets different titles. Some examples include Miss Penitentiary, Miss Captivity, Miss Prisoner and Miss Spring.

Since the inmates are excused from prison work duties for a week while they prepare for the contest, and since the curfew is extended on the evening of the show, most women get really excited about the whole event. The pictures below are from different prisons around the world. Natalya Khapova, a 26-year-old inmate in a Siberian prison said, “A woman should always be beautiful, not just outside the fence. Even if she’s in here, she should show her beauty. A woman is everything gently and wonderful – or should be.” I think these events are a great idea! I’m sure they offer the women something really fun to look forward to.

Via: [BBC News] [Amusing Planet] [Web Park]