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

一项新的研究表明，拉面已取代烟草，成为美国监狱中最有价值的商品。

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

该研究指出，这一转变是对监狱所提供的食品的数量和质量有所下降的反应。

'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.

研究作者迈克尔·吉布森·莱特表示：“因为便宜又美味，而且含有很高的热量，所以拉面已经变得非常珍贵，甚至可以用于交换其他的商品。”

US prison data shows spending has not kept pace with the number of inmates¹.

据美国监狱提供的数据显示，美国监狱的支出并没有跟上监狱服刑人员的数量。

Mr Gibson-Light said staff and inmates at the prison he visited said the amount of food being provided had decreased steadily² over decades and warned the shift could have serious implications.

吉布森·莱特先生宣称，他访问过的监狱里的工作人员和囚犯都纷纷表示，监狱提供的食物数量在过去几十年里不断下降，并且他警告称，这种转变可能会带来严重的影响。

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, durable³ food product, he said.

他表示，犯人们对监狱里食物的数量和口味都非常不满意，以致于他们不得不接受他们需要依赖拉面——一种廉价和顶饿的食物。

The noodles are exchanged for goods including other food items, clothing, hygiene⁴ products and even services such as laundry and bunk⁵ cleaning, Mr Gibson-Light said.

吉布森·莱特先生表示，拉面可以被用于交换另外的商品，诸如一些食物、衣服、卫生用品，甚至是类似洗衣、铺位清洗等的服务项目。

Others use them as bargaining chips in gambling⁶ when playing card games or participating in football pools.

也有另外的一些人把拉面作为打牌或参加足球比赛时候的筹码。

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·莱特先生称，这种转变发生在监狱里的不同团体之间，并且这也不是对于监狱内禁止食用烟草的一个回应。他呼吁对“食物的减少对囚犯照料的效果可能意味着什么”这一课题进行更多的研究。