Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe TOKYO, April 13 (UPI) -- Japan is planning to eliminate bad vibes in the nation's prisons by giving inmates more colorful uniforms, the Asahi Shimbun reported Wednesday. Covers for futons, or Japanese mattresses, also will get a makeover, so that even the most hard-core criminals can get a good night's sleep. Advertisement Experts on color psychology say the orange- and green-striped futons on which around 60,000 inmates now sleep create bad vibes and foster negative feelings. And the mainly dark uniforms are just plain drab, the experts say. The Prison Law was revised in 1966 to allow prisons to choose the color of inmates' attire, but the same colors used back then are still worn today, despite a 1997 advisory panel recommendation that brighter colors should be adopted. But with prison reform and better conditions for inmates on parliament's agenda, the ministry is considering futons in a persimmon color -- said to aid sleep. White stripes could add a contrast. Suggested colors for uniforms are mint-green for work wear, with pale greenish-blue for men's leisure wear and pink for women.
