A newly-appointed prison governor in Italy has cracked down on convicted mafia mobsters wearing designer label clothes to flaunt their wealth and status.
Rita Barbera, the new governor of Ucciardone jail in Palermo, the capital of Sicily, has said the practise of prisoners wearing Gucci, Armani and other designer clothes, as well as flashy jewellery, must stop.

Unlike many countries, prisoners in Italian jails are not required to wear uniforms.

Lax conditions at the 19th century prison, where one mafia godfather is reported to have celebrated his birthday with Champagne and lobster, have earned it the nickname "The Grand Hotel".

The relaxed regime prompted comparisons with the Hollywood film Goodfellas, starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, whose characters lived the high life even when they were behind bars.

Mrs Barbera said she will no longer tolerate prisoners, many of them members of the Cosa Nostra mafia, showing off their status with Louis Vuitton jackets, Valentino silk shirts and Adidas and Nike trainers.

"In the collective memory, this prison has been linked to images of godfathers wearing silk clothes, and this is something we need to snuff out," the governor said. "We need to eliminate disparities between prisoners, which has been expressed through exhibitions of status, power and economic supremacy."

But the crackdown has already sparked indignation from inmates and their families.

"Why should the authorities be allowed to dictate what my husband wears?" one woman said.

Another complained: "My husband will have to walk around naked because he only has designer clothes, not to show off but because they're of better quality and they last longer. Why humiliate him in this way and make me go and buy all his clothes in street markets?"

Not all prisoners enjoy such indulgent conditions. The seafront jail, a former fortress built by the Bourbon rulers of Sicily, is badly overcrowded, with 700 inmates crammed into cells which were designed to accommodate 500.

In contrast with wealthy mafiosi, who have been allowed to set themselves up in comfort, many prisoners are foreigners or common criminals who cannot even afford underwear or proper shoes, according to prison welfare groups.



据英国《每日电讯报》7月25日报道：意大利一新上任狱长下令禁止狱中的黑手党穿名牌服装，以免他们炫耀自己的财富和地位。

丽塔•巴贝拉是位于意大利西西里岛首府的巴勒莫一监狱的新任狱长，她说，狱中囚犯穿戴古琦、阿玛尼等名牌服装及华丽珠宝的行为必须禁止。



和大多数国家不一样，意大利狱中囚犯不要求穿统一制服。


这座建于19世纪的监狱管理松懈，有报道称，曾有一位黑手党教父在狱中用香槟和龙虾为自己庆祝生日，为此该监狱也获得"大酒店"的绰号。



这种松弛的管理体制也在好莱坞电影《好家伙》中有所体现，影片中罗伯•德尼罗和乔•佩西扮演的角色即使在狱中服刑也过着奢华的生活。



巴贝拉女士说她不会再纵容这些大多来自科萨•诺斯特拉黑手党的囚犯穿着路易斯威登的夹克、华伦天奴的丝质衬衫，还有阿迪达斯和耐克的运动鞋来炫富。



"在大部分人的记忆里，这所监狱已经跟穿着真丝衬衫的教父们联系在一起，我们必须改变这样的形象。"典狱长说，"我们想通过禁止囚犯们炫耀地位、权利和金钱至上的风气，来消除他们之间的不平等现象。"



但是目前这个禁令却激起了囚犯和他们家人的愤怒。



"为什么当局限制我丈夫穿什么？"一位妇女说。



另一位也抱怨说："那我丈夫今后得光着身子了，他的衣服都是名牌，并不是炫耀，只是它们质量更好，穿的时间更长，为什么要这样羞辱他呢？而且我也不得不去街市给他买衣服。"



并不是所有的囚犯都享受这么宽松的待遇，前身是波旁王朝统治者在西西里岛建立的要塞的海滨监狱就人满为患，仅可容纳500人的牢房里挤了700名囚犯。



据监狱福利组织讲，跟那些被允许过着舒适生活的富有黑手党相反，很多囚犯都是外国人或者连内衣裤和舒服的鞋子都买不起的普通罪犯。

• governor [´gʌvənə] n.总督；州长 (初中英语单词)
• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)
• practise [´præktis] v.实践(行，施)；提倡 (初中英语单词)
• italian [i´tæliən] a.意大利 n.意大利人 (初中英语单词)
• celebrated [´selibreitid] a.著名的 (初中英语单词)
• contrast [´kɔntrɑ:st] n.对比 v.使对比(照) (初中英语单词)
• wealthy [´welθi] a.富有的；丰富的 (初中英语单词)
• welfare [´welfeə] n.福利(事业) (初中英语单词)
• regime [rei´ʒi:m] n.政体；社会制度 (高中英语单词)
• hollywood [´hɔliwud] n.好莱坞 (高中英语单词)
• eliminate [i´limineit] vt.消除；淘汰 (高中英语单词)
• indignation [,indig´neiʃən] n.愤慨；气愤 (高中英语单词)
• dictate [dik´teit] v.口授；指示，命令 (高中英语单词)
• fortress [´fɔ:tris] n.堡垒，要塞 (高中英语单词)
• accommodate [ə´kɔmədeit] vt.供应；容纳；调节 (高中英语单词)
• sicily [´sisili] n.西西里(岛) (英语四级单词)
• lobster [´lɔbstə] n.龙虾(肉) (英语四级单词)
• tolerate [´tɔləreit] vt.忍受；宽容 (英语四级单词)
• status [´steitəs] n.身份；情形；状况 (英语四级单词)
• humiliate [hju:´milieit] vt.使蒙羞，屈辱 (英语四级单词)
• cracked [krækt] a.有裂缝的；碎的；粗哑 (英语六级单词)
• designer [di´zainə] n.设计者 (英语六级单词)
• champagne [ʃæm´pein] n.香槟酒；微黄色 (英语六级单词)
• nickname [´nikneim] n.绰号 vt.给...起绰口 (英语六级单词)
• collective [kə´lektiv] a.集体的 n.集体 (英语六级单词)
• underwear [´ʌndəweə] n.内衣；衬衣 (英语六级单词)