Boss's Daughter: 'My Father Has Been In Prison For 27 Years, Bring Him To My Wedding'

 She will get married on July 4th in her hometown, Reggio Calabria. But her father won't be there. Her greatest dream would be to have him by her side. Or rather, arm in arm as she walks down the church aisle toward the altar. She is Francesca, 28, daughter of Tommaso Romeo, a former prominent figure in the Locride 'Ndrangheta, sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole, and currently incarcerated in the maximum security prison in Padua. When he was arrested and the prison doors opened, it was 1993, and she and her twin sister Rossella were only 15 months old. "In my daily life, I haven't been able to share either joy or sorrow with my father. "I would like him to be there at least on my wedding day, such an important day for me," explained Francesca Romeo, whose story was told by Francesco Viviano in the Quotidiano del Sud. For her, there are only a few photographs to remember moments spent with her family. Francesca simply dreams of a 'normal' day, "like any other girl who is walked down the aisle by her father on that day." "I would like," she explains, "for him to be granted leave. Even having him under constant surveillance by officers is fine, as long as he is there." Francesca is well aware that the law does not allow benefits in cases of 'ergastolo ostativo' (life sentence without parole), as her father was. "I agree with Pope Francis when he defines life imprisonment as a 'hidden' death penalty. My father is buried alive. He made a mistake, he paid, and he continues to pay. But life changes, and after 30 years in prison, he is no longer the same as he once was: he has denied who he was. People change, the purpose of punishment is to re-educate. And if a convicted person changes during his or her journey, then the State should give him or her the chance to redeem himself or herself instead of taking away all hope with a 'never-ending sentence.'" On her wedding day (her twin sister as witness), Francesca knows she has little chance of her father holding her hand: "I'll think about him every moment of the day. Then, right afterward, I'll go up to see him in Padua."