And you think you have a bleak outlook for the future.....

[formercia]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/7281761.stm


Siberian prison's beauty pageant
By Maria Yatskova
This World, BBC Two

Women inmates in a Siberian prison take part in an annual beauty contest which offers inmates a chance to demonstrate good behaviour and win early parole.

--snip--

The trouble with freedom


Former inmate Natasha Patalakhova, 29, who served eight years for armed assault, directed the pageant when she was in prison and her involvement helped her secure an early release.

But Natasha has found life difficult on the outside.

As an ex-convict and a refugee from Kazakhstan, she has been unable to get the papers she needs to work or even to travel.

"My prison days continue to haunt me," she says.

--snip--

"I told them they could have a fresh beginning," says Natasha. "I told them to forgive each other, help each other, and strive to get home. What else could I say?"