Examining Power in Women’s Prisons, Guards Versus Inmates
After watching season 1 of Orange Is the New Black, the conversation of who holds the power in prison systems coincided with the readings of Angela Davis. In Angela Davis’s “Public Imprisonment and Private Violence: Reflections on the Hidden Punishment of Women”, she mainly examines sexual abuse and how that has become a norm in women’s prisons. Her theory is illustrated through Netflix’s original series, Orange is the New Black and we will dissect why and how this power originated in the women’s prison system.
“As the level of repression in women’s prisons increases, and, paradoxically, as the influence of domestic prison regimes recedes, sexual abuse-which, like domestic violence, is yet another dimension of the privatized punishment of women-has become an institutionalized component of punishment behind prison walls”. -Angela Davis
Sexual abuse is a common theme found in Orange is the New Black for inmates and correctional officers alike. Throughout the show, inmates would be seen offering sexual services to officers for commodities such as food or favors. Since the women in these prisons have their freedoms and rights restricted, they would use their bodies as a means to regain a little power or control over the guards. Some casts in the show does this willingly while others refuse to. However, this does not stop the guards from making sexual advances on the inmates regardless of their willingness to barter. After getting further into the show, I noticed that these sexual advances were almost second nature to some guards, as if sexual coercion has become normalized in this prison. After doing some research, I found that there are laws passed that protected the inmates from sexual advances made by the guards. The PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) was passed in 2003 to protect inmates from rape in 28 federal, state, and local institutions and to provide information and resources to protect individuals from prison rape. Although there might be laws that were put in place to help women in prisons feel safe, the show did not depict that. Instead, the women had to come up with their own coping strategies to either brush off the guards or avoid them altogether. To make matters even worse, the show made the guards appear to have total power over their prisoners. From tactics such as emotional abuse to sentence extension manipulation, the guards could basically get away with whatever they wanted.
“Although guard-on-prisoner sexual abuse is not sanctioned as such, the widespread leniency with which offending officers are treated, suggests that for women, prison is a space in which the threat of sexualized violence that looms in the larger society is effectively sanctioned as a routine aspect of the landscape of punishment behind prison walls”. -Angela Davis
Like Angela Davis notes in her analysis, if you are sexually abused, you cannot escape from your abuser. This applies to all of the female inmates in Orange is the New Black as they struggle to push back against the dehumanizing acts that corrupt correctional officers push upon them.
The power that inmates hold is very limited and contained in the prison system. As the show progressed, they seem to grasp onto anything that can give them power. Things like status, money, and social groups are all shown being used to gain control in the prison system. Status refers to your position relative to the prison guards. Some, like the main protagonist Piper, have natural advantages that may grant them favor with certain correctional officers. Others, like Red, runs the kitchen which inherently gives her more power and control than other inmates. Currency for goodies became a bargaining chip for prisoners to exchange. Social groups from all different races are seen clashing as they fight for commodities like recreational privileges in the prison.
Media and television is shining a light on the growing problems of women in prison. From a statistical research, the Sentencing Project has found that “more than one million women are currently under the supervision of the criminal justice system in the U.S”. and that “the number of women in prison has increased at nearly double the rate of men since 1985, 404% vs. 209%”. Since the television show depicts the women being mistreated in numerous ways, this raises the awareness of better prison reforms for women. If women are a huge part of the prison population now, there needs to be an appropriate response from policy makers to focus on the needs and situations of women in prison. Orange is the New Black is a great introductory reminder to the public that women in prison are still lacking protection in many different areas. Not only does it entertain us with its witty humor, but it also brings to attention some of the emotional side of the prisoner’s stories that can otherwise be lost for those who consider all prisoners as criminals.
