Inmates Find Dignity in Tijuana State Prison Pageant Sandra Dibble - The San Diego Union-Tribune
go to original May 20, 2013

Gloria Vanessa Murrillo covers her mouth in disbelief after she was announced as first place winner of the competition. (David Maung/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

TIJUANA — It was a pageant like so many others, featuring women in tiaras, gowns and impossibly high heels. But the rolls of barbed wire, armed guards and harsh lighting gave it away: The contestants, for the most part, were criminals serving time at Tijuana’s La Mesa State Penitentiary.

Dubbed the “Our Inner Beauty Competition,” Friday evening’s event was a first for what was once among Mexico’s most notorious prisons. Applauding the contestants were prison staff, a few family members and some community guests, but the most heartfelt support came from rows of female inmates allowed to look on.

... The event’s 25 contestants ranged in age from 19 to 62, many of them serving lengthy sentences for crimes such as homicide, kidnapping, and drug trafficking. Culled from a group of 120 initial participants, the finalists were granted the rare privilege of shedding their light gray prison garb and wearing makeup, both normally prohibited for security reasons lest an inmate try to disguise herself as a visitor and escape.

Read the rest at The San Diego Union-Tribune

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