The Sao Paulo officials started pageant to boost convicts' confidence. At the Capital Female Penitentiary the contestants in the Miss Penitentiary pageant were working overtime using hair dryers. The statuesque Angolan facing international drug smuggling charges was voted Miss Penitentiary 2005 on Thursday 24. 40 female inmates from 10 prisons contest pitting during six-hour. Fernanda Maria de Jesus, last year's winner, gained early release months after her victory, but prison officials insist the shortened sentence had nothing to do with her winning the title. Judges include soccer players, celebrities and journalists, and there are prizes in three other categories, including public speaking, writing and congeniality. Peru and Colombia also hold beauty contests in prisons. Sao Paulo's contest, which also offered a $160 prize to the winner, is one of the largest, drawing from its female population of almost 4,000 inmates.

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