One of this summer's hit TV sensations has been the original Netflix series Orange is the New Black, a gripping, frequently funny and profane look at life in a federal minimum-security women's penitentiary. The main character, Piper Chapman, is a privileged white woman serving a 15-month sentence for her involvement in transporting drugs internationally.
The show has drawn unusual attention to the subject of our nation's correctional system, and to the situation of female inmates in particular. Much of the attention has focused on Piper Kerman, who wrote the memoir on which the series is based and serves as a consultant for the show. Kerman is the real-life counterpart to the series' lead character, having served 13 months in federal facilities in Danbury, Conn.; Oklahoma City; and Chicago in the mid-2000s.
In a recent interview, Kerman, who is a board member of the Women's Prison Association, was asked what changes she would most like to see in the prison system today.
In many ways, Oklahoma is the epicenter of the crisis of over-incarceration affecting all of the United States. It has the highest rate of female incarceration in the nation (and the world), and the fourth-highest rate for men. About half of Oklahoma prisoners are incarcerated for nonviolent property and drug offenses, a result of a range of factors, from mandatory minimum sentencing laws to inadequate substance abuse treatment to a tough-on-crime political culture. Reforms are long overdue.
While we are being entertained by Orange is the New Black, hopefully we can use the opportunity to think about the steps we can take so that fewer women end up in Piper's situation.