With the 4th season now released on Netflix, OITNB is yet again very present in our binge-watching lives. Over time, I have begun to forget the crimes that they are at Litchfield for. Season 4 brought many new crime flashbacks into play, so here's a recap on what made these characters prisoners.
*WARNING THERE IS SEASON 4 SPOILERS*
Piper Chapman
Our fearless main character, Piper Chapman, wasn't always that way. Ten years ago, she was in a relationship with Alex Vause, who she later discovered was a smuggler for a major drug cartel. During a vacation in Europe, she helped Alex smuggle drug money. Ten year after the crime, Alex named her as an accomplice which landed Piper at Litchfield.
Alex Vause
Being a smuggler for a major drug cartel has its downsides. Alex basically used Piper as a pawn during her crime, and didn't want to go down alone when the time came. So, she named Piper as an accomplice and they ended up at Litchfield together yet again.
Galina "Red" Reznikov
Red is the mother figure of the group. Though we don't know exactly why she's at Litchfield, we know enough about her background that we can get a good idea. Red used to run a restaurant with her husband, but they later got involved with the Russian mafia. In season 4 we learn that she had 5 heads in her freezer at the time of her arrest, yikes.
Lorna Morello
I think we can all agree that when the always bubbly and happy Lorna Morello's crime was revealed, we all remembered that the characters did something wrong to end up at Litchfield in the first place. We first believed that Lorna was innocently planning her wedding with her fiancé Christopher. We later find out the dark truth. Christopher was actually the man she was stalking. After one date following when they met at the post office, she began stalking him hardcore. This lead to eventually planting an explosive in his real girlfriend's car in attempts to murder her.
Nicky Nichols
Nichols comes from a very wealthy family, but they were never very present in her life. She becomes a heroin addict, and steals a taxi so she can get to her drug dealer in time before the weekend.
Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren
Before season 4, we only knew about Suzanne's background. She was adopted by a wealthy, white family who loved her very much. Her family seemed to push her to do things out of her comfort zone, and sometimes TOO far. This is seen in one of the darkest flashbacks the show has given yet. Suzanne was a greeter at a superstore and loved talking to the guests. One weekend she was trusted to stay home alone (though she didn't want to), and she went to the park to find friends to hangout with. When she saw a little boy she knew from the superstore, she took him home to play video games together. Eventually he wants to go home, and she doesn't understand. He calls 911 and gets on the fire escape to get away from her, and accidentally falls to his presumed death.
Leanne Taylor
Awhile back we discovered that Leanne was once apart of the Amish community. When she ran away from her family, she befriended a bad crowd of people involved in drugs. When she decides she wants to return to her family, she leaves her backpack of incriminating things on the outskirts of town. Leanne made a deal with the police to wear a wire to turn in her old friends.
Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett
Pennsatucky doesn't have the best temper. While at an abortion clinic, a worker made a comment to her about it being her fifth abortion. Pennsatucky said that the woman disrespected her, and that wasn't okay. So she went outside, got a gun, and went back inside to shoot her.
Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales
We don't find out how smart Flaca is until we learn her crime. Flaca began selling fake drugs at her school. One of the kids thought we was actually high, and committed suicide by jumping off the roof of the school.
Sophia Burset
Sophia used to be a male fireman. When she decided to transition to a female, she committed credit card fraud so she could pay for the surgery and hormone therapy. Her son didn't accept her transition, and turned her in.
Norma Romano
Norma fell in love and became a wife to a cult leader. Years later, she was the only wife (of his multiple wives) who had not left him. One day he insulted her intelligence, and so she casually killed him by pushing him off of a cliff.
Brook Soso
We know that Soso is in for some type of political activism. In season 4, we learn that she used to be a door-to-door activist. She was dared to go to the house of a sex offender, but she learns that his crime is not actually what it seems. Due to rumors in the neighborhood, people look down upon him. When she gets back to her group, she completely lies about him and his crime, as well as saying he tried to seduce her. Though we don't know exactly why she's at Litchfield, we can guess that it had something to do about hurting this man's already tainted name with her false accusations.
