College Women’s Attitudes about Imprisoned Women in Orange is the New Black And Real Life Women Prison Inmates
Kenneth Elvis Jones, Dmin, PhD; Brandi Gray

Abstract
Orange is the New Black (OITNB) has enjoyed prominence as one of the most watched shows on the very popular streaming video network, Netflix. As more women are held in U.S. prisons each year, conditions of incarcerated women remain a concern. Cultivation theory of mass media research is discussed as a traditional model for explaining the effects of how heavy viewing of OITNB impacts the way college women see the conditions and behavior of inmates in the series as the way women are treated and behave in real prisons. Sexual abuse, racial segregation, mental illness, substance abuse, and assault by correctional officials are addressed. The study concluded that the number of episodes of OITNB viewed by college women did not predict the extent to which college women saw similarity in the treatment of women in OITNB and real world prisons.

Full Text: PDF