The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The characters in Orange Is the New Black arrive at Litchfield for different reasons, including drug trafficking, money laundering, parole violations, fraud and other offenses. Some backstories are stated clearly; Netflix’s character retrospective describes others as probable or presumed, so those should not be treated as confirmed convictions.
Why the main characters first went to prison
The table separates each character’s original reason for entering custody from later events that changed their sentence or status. Netflix’s retrospective does not give every backstory the same degree of certainty.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Orange Is The New Black Seasons 1-5 | $22.35 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Orange Is The New Black: Season 7 - DVD | $25.92 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![Orange is the New Black – Complete Collection [DVD] [2020]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51WYHdGZmLL._SL160_.jpg)
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Orange is the New Black – Complete Collection [DVD] [2020] | $75.68 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Orange Is The New Black Season 6 | $24.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
![Orange Is The New Black: Season 1 [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51LThmBsSCL._SL160_.jpg)
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Orange Is The New Black: Season 1 [DVD] | $7.79 | Buy on Amazon |
| Character | Original offense or custody reason | Later development |
|---|---|---|
| Piper Chapman | Money laundering and criminal conspiracy after smuggling money internationally for Alex Vause’s drug-trafficking ring. Alex names Piper during her trial in an effort to get a better deal; Piper later turns herself in. | Netflix’s episode description says Piper receives a 15-month sentence for a crime committed in her youth. |
| Alex Vause | Drug trafficking for an international cartel. | A parole violation sends her back to prison. |
| Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson | Drug-related charges and a parole violation. Netflix’s retrospective says her initial incarceration most likely relates to her involvement in Vee’s drug enterprise. | After the prison riot, she is wrongly convicted of correctional officer Piscatella’s murder and receives a life sentence. |
| Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren | Kidnapping and involuntary manslaughter. She tries to befriend a young customer at the store where she works; he falls from a window while trying to get away. | Not stated in the retrospective. |
| Nicky Nichols | Breaking and entering and heroin possession. | Not stated in the retrospective. |
| Galina “Red” Reznikov | The retrospective links her to the Russian mafia, including storing bodies in her freezer, but does not identify a definite conviction. It says her offense was “probably” related to that involvement. | Not stated in the retrospective. |
| Dayanara “Daya” Diaz | Her original drug-related charges are presumed to relate to the activities of her mother Aleida’s boyfriend. | During the riot, she kills correctional officer Humphrey and later receives a life sentence. |
| Gloria Mendoza | Food-stamp fraud at her bodega. | Not stated in the retrospective. |
| Marisol “Flaca” Gonzales | Selling fake LSD to high-school classmates; one person jumped from the school roof. | Not stated in the retrospective. |
| Maritza Ramos | Involvement in a car-theft scam that went wrong. | After her release, she is detained by ICE while on parole. That is immigration detention in a later storyline, not her original criminal conviction. |
| Brook Soso | Illegal protesting after she lives in a tree to prevent it from being cut down. | Not stated in the retrospective. |
| Big Boo | The retrospective says her offense was most likely connected to her gambling ring; it does not identify a definite conviction. | Not stated in the retrospective. |
How Piper’s case connects the stories
Piper’s imprisonment follows her earlier role in Alex’s international drug operation: she smuggled money for the ring, and Alex named her during her own trial. The official Netflix episode description summarizes the premise as Piper receiving a 15-month sentence for a crime committed in her youth. Netflix’s official show page gives that episode description.
Alex’s story has two distinct stages: her drug-trafficking conviction and, later, a parole violation that sends her back to prison. The latter is not the same offense as her original conviction.
#1 Best Overall
Why Taystee and Daya later receive life sentences
Taystee’s original drug-related charges and parole violation are separate from the life sentence she receives after the riot. The retrospective says she is wrongly convicted of correctional officer Piscatella’s murder. Daya’s initial drug-related charges are also separate from the later riot storyline, in which she kills correctional officer Humphrey and receives a life sentence.
Which character backstories are uncertain?
Netflix’s character retrospective uses qualified language for some cases. Taystee’s first incarceration is described as most likely tied to Vee’s drug enterprise; Daya’s original drug charges are presumed to relate to her mother’s boyfriend; Red’s offense was probably connected to the Russian mafia; and Big Boo’s offense was most likely related to her gambling ring. Those descriptions are not the same as a definitive statement of conviction.
Rank #2
For Red and Big Boo in particular, the retrospective does not establish an exact original offense. The show’s character histories are not all explained with equal detail, so an unconfirmed inference should not be presented as a settled legal fact.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The real-life inspiration is not the same as the fictional characters
Orange Is the New Black is based on Piper Kerman’s 2010 memoir, but the series is a fictionalized ensemble drama. The Guardian reported that Kerman served 13 months of a 15-month sentence for drug-trafficking and money-laundering offenses. Kerman is not Piper Chapman, and her real experience should not be treated as evidence for every fictional character or event. The Guardian’s 2014 interview with Kerman provides context about the memoir and the series’ real-life inspiration. Netflix’s character retrospective is the source for the fictional characters’ backstories summarized above.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- DVD
- season One
- Widescreen
- produced in 2014
Rank #4
Rank #3
- The disk has English audio.
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