An Angolan won Brazil's marquee prison beauty pageant, beating a troupe of contestants born in a country where people are deadly serious about looking good, even in its notorious jails.

　　Angelica Mazua, 23, was the choice of the judging panel that featured plastic surgeons, entertainers and athletes regarded as heartthrobs.

　　Inmates from 10 prisons competed in the Thursday night event in Sao Paulo, Brazil's most populous and cosmopolitan state.

　　Prisoners in the audience swarmed stars like the soccer striker Grafite and danced with celebrities as bands played samba and pagode. Near the stage, guards armed with shotguns and dogs patrolled along a walkway between a chain-link fence and a concrete wall topped with razor wire.

　　Finalists in the categories of beauty, poetry, prose and congeniality had their nails, hair and makeup done by a nonprofit group that provides make-overs to underprivileged women. Female prison guards also helped out.

　　Many contestants wore donated evening gowns and talked about how the experience gave them a renewed sense of self-respect.

　　Locked up four months ago after police found cocaine in her bags as she boarded a plane to Africa, 5-foot-10-inch (1.79-metres) tall Mazua is awaiting trial and says an acquaintance tricked her into carrying the drug.

一贩毒女郎摘得巴西监狱选美赛桂冠(图)

　　日前，巴西圣保罗“2005年监狱小姐大赛”在卡兰迪鲁女子监狱中心举行。经过6个多小时的紧张角逐，安哥拉籍犯人安杰莉卡-马库阿最终荣获选美比赛冠军。

　　据路透社11月25日报道，安杰莉卡现年23岁，身高1.79米。夺冠后，头戴人造宝石皇冠的她骄傲地表示：“人们说我个儿高，应该参加比赛，所以我就参加了。我喜欢时尚，它是我想要追求的东西。”4个月前，当安杰莉卡准备登上一趟飞往非洲的航班时，警方在她的包中发现了可卡因，最终她因跨国贩毒罪被判入狱5年。

　　整场比赛气氛热烈，众监狱佳丽自信地走上了舞台，向评委展示自己的风采。此次“2005年监狱小姐大赛”的参赛者来自圣保罗周边各地10所监狱的女囚。评委会由巴西整形医生、演艺界明星、运动员等组成。最后胜出的“监狱小姐”可以赢得160美元的奖金。

　　巴西监狱官员去年首次推出了主题为“改写未来”的“监狱小姐大赛”。监狱官员表示，这样的活动可以提升犯人的自尊心，促使她们对出狱后的生活进行思考。同时，选美大赛还使参赛佳丽得到时装界的关注，出狱后可能成为时装模特。

　　去年的冠军弗南达-玛里娅-德杰苏斯获胜数月后就提前获释出狱。尽管监狱官员坚称德杰苏斯刑期缩短和选美比赛毫无关系，但参赛选手们心中都有一个潜在的希望，那就是一旦自己获得了“监狱小姐”桂冠，那么离出狱也就为时不远。

　　报道说，此次监狱小姐大赛除了引人关注的选美比赛外，还有写作、演讲和亲和力3个竞赛奖项，但却没有引起外界关注。(

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