伙食太差 拉麪已經成爲美國監獄裏最搶手的貨

Ramen noodles have overtaken tobacco to become the most valuable commodity in US prisons, a new study says.

一項新的研究表明，拉麪已取代菸草，成爲美國監獄中最有價值的商品。

The research said the shift was a response to a decline in the quantity and quality of food on offer.

該研究指出，這一轉變是對監獄所提供的食品的數量和質量有所下降的反應。

'Because it is cheap, tasty, and rich in calories, ramen has become so valuable that it is used to exchange for other goods', said study author Michael Gibson-Light.

研究作者邁克爾·吉布森·萊特表示：“因爲便宜又美味，而且含有很高的熱量，所以拉麪已經變得非常珍貴，甚至可以用於交換其他的商品。”

US prison data shows spending has not kept pace with the number of inmates.

據美國監獄提供的數據顯示，美國監獄的支出並沒有跟上監獄服刑人員的數量。

Mr Gibson-Light said staff and inmates at the prison he visited said the amount of food being provided had decreased steadily over decades and warned the shift could have serious implications.

吉布森·萊特先生宣稱，他訪問過的監獄裏的工作人員和囚犯都紛紛表示，監獄提供的食物數量在過去幾十年裏不斷下降，並且他警告稱，這種轉變可能會帶來嚴重的影響。

Prisoners are so unhappy with the quality and quantity of prison food that they receive that they have begun relying on ramen noodles - a cheap, durable food product, he said.

他表示，犯人們對監獄裏食物的數量和口味都非常不滿意，以致於他們不得不接受他們需要依賴拉麪——一種廉價和頂餓的食物。

The noodles are exchanged for goods including other food items, clothing, hygiene products and even services such as laundry and bunk cleaning, Mr Gibson-Light said.

吉布森·萊特先生表示，拉麪可以被用於交換另外的商品，諸如一些食物、衣服、衛生用品，甚至是類似洗衣、鋪位清洗等的服務項目。

Others use them as bargaining chips in gambling when playing card games or participating in football pools.

也有另外的一些人把拉麪作爲打牌或參加足球比賽時候的籌碼。

The shift was taking place across different groups within prisons and was not a response to bans on tobacco products within the prison system, Mr Gibson-Light said. He called for more research into what the reduction in food could mean for the care of prisoners.

吉布森·萊特先生稱，這種轉變發生在監獄裏的不同團體之間，並且這也不是對於監獄內禁止食用菸草的一個迴應。他呼籲對“食物的減少對囚犯照料的效果可能意味着什麼”這一課題進行更多的研究。