Raising awareness: Piper Kerman’s Orange is the New Black and the oppression of women in U.S. Prisons (original) (raw)

Orange is the new Black, a TV-series based on Piper Kerman’s autobiographical narrative, is all over the news and in our living rooms attempting to give us an insight of what life behind bars is like for women. The show has been criticized for inaccurately depicting the story of Piper Chapman, as the main character is called in the series. However, the broadcast and discussion of the story draws attention to the actual narrative by Piper Kerman on which the show is based. In her autobiographical novel also entitled Orange is the new Black, Kerman narrates her life in prison after being convicted of drug offense after 10 years. As a consequence of her actions in the past, Kerman was sentenced to 13 months in a federal prison facility. After her release, she put her experiences in writing to raise awareness of the flaws of the U.S. federal prison system. In her narrative, she draws attention to a number of different issues; among them the maltreatment of women of all colors, origins, backgrounds and sexes in American prisons. Consequently, the publication of her story offers shocking insights into the way incarcerated women are treated and thus highlights the necessity to talk about these horrifying practices.

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