Last week as Obama was stepping his foot into El Reno Federal Correctional Institution, I was finishing the 3rd season of Orange is the New Black (OITNB) in my basement. Although I did not enjoy this season as much as the previous two, I began to wonder why. Was it because there was not enough violence? Was it because there was not more rape? Was it because women weren’t pulling each other’s hair out? As I wondered why this season wasn’t as riveting, I began to think about why I liked to watch this show in the first place. A show that represents to the world what it is like to live on the other side of the bars.
This Netflix series began in 2013 and quickly gained popularity after its release. The show is based off of Piper Kerman’s memoir “Orange Is The New Black: My Year in a Woman’s Prison” which talks about her experiences in a federal correctional institution in Danbury, Connecticut. Although some aspects are true and some stories are based on real life situations, there is still a big gap between Litchfield Prison and reality, an example being most women are in prison for drugs or nonviolent crimes rather than pushing their boyfriend off a cliff. However true or false some of the scenes may be, does it bother anyone else that the rape of a woman in prison or the misery these women go through as they’re taken from their family and children are our form of entertainment?
I think it is important to know the type of struggles they face on a daily basis. The show brings up many issues people in prisons endure along with many issues of the criminal justice system. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, as of 2013, there were 1,574,700 people in state and federal prisons and in 2014, female inmate population increased 18.1% over the span of four years.
Before watching OITNB, I never even thought about what life might be like for women who are incarcerated. But is it enough to just watch the show and become educated about problems in the prison system? Or is it even worse that now we are aware of some of these issues and we’re still not doing anything about it. I’m just as guilty of a fan of OITNB as probably most fans are. Yes, it’s great that this show has shined some light on the darkness of prisons, but just shining light doesn’t make change happen. This show is absolutely pointless if all a viewer gets out of it is entertainment.
Some groups have formed to address these issues in prisons such as overpopulation and overcrowding. Even our president is pushing for reforms in our criminal justice system. But if you have enough time to sit your ass down and watch an hour-long episode, or even binge watch a few, then you can find time to do something that will make a difference too. Whether you are a conservative or liberal, I think there is one thing everyone can agree on: something needs to change in our system. It’s not enough to just watch OITNB. We have to do something about it. That’s what it was created for.
If we love the characters in this show so much, then why can’t we love the people behind the character–the people they represent?
