Looking at Orange Is the New Black (OITNB) TV series elicits the behaviors of several staff members that reflect on the nature of the environment in American prisons. Going through some characters in OITNB can aid focus on issues going on in correctional facilities all around America. Joseph Salvatore Caputo comes out as a sleazy sadistic character at the beginning of the season. His position in prison is administrative, and he believes in keeping the inmates degraded. On his first encounter with Piper, he develops a thing but finds it difficult to approach her; therefore, she resorts to uncouth approaches to suppress his urges against her. He has always wished to do the right thing in his position, but it has always been met by bad results and ingratitude. Deeper into the season, Caputo developed new feelings for a recruit – Susan Fischer and when she did not reciprocate her feelings, Caputo fired her. Out of all the other staff members, he seems the most competent. He brought forward as an individual capable of handling a crisis without favor or seeming oppressive. Caputo handles his work seriously and professionally, and the only drawback is letting personal feelings affect his work. Firstly, it is unethical to be in a relationship with a coworker. Also, it is wrong to develop feelings for an inmate, although he does not act upon it. His emotions limit his professional opinion. As such, it introduces some form of emotional labor that impairs judgment in making professional decisions (Park et al., 2019). It is also apparent that inmates are human beings and, as such, are accorded rights and freedoms by the United States Constitution. Dehumanizing prisoners is taking away some of their rights and freedoms; thus, the action considered wrong. Caputo is, therefore, not a good staff. Joel Luschek is staff for the prison in charge of the electrical workshop meant to teach inmates of electrical skills as well as do minor electrical work in the prison. Joel comes across as uncaring, sarcastic, and barely competent. He is also racists and shows no appreciation for the position he holds. His work is to report to the workshop and hand over manuals for repair when inmates intend to repair an appliance. Under his careless nature, one day, a screwdriver goes missing in the shop, forcing him to buy another to quash an ongoing check as well as rid him of any responsibility or blame when the missing one turns out in the inmate’s quarters. Inmates report to a correctional facility to serve their punishment and become better citizens by enrolling in programs that would give them better skills to survive in the real world. Such programs are also used to bring down the cost of running correctional facilities which have sored in America. If the workshop was capable of handling electrical issues in the facility, then the facility would not need to outsource electrical services and pay for it. However, Joel believes that the workshop is a den he can come and relax, pass the day and get paid. Therefore, he fails in two accounts; not helping inmates become better people in society and not helping the system save on spending. Programs in prison are meant to help rehabilitate prisoners into becoming better people (Zoukis, 2014). Most prisons in America offer inmates a chance to go through college. The notion is that when they get out, they have the qualification to indulge in activities that will offer them economic gain. Economic gain translates into not indulging in illegal activities for money. Natalie Figueroa claims that she advocates for the women being incarcerated in the facility. But her motives are different. As the executive assistant to the warden, Natalie is in a position of power where she has access to prison funds. She embezzles the funds, and when it comes to the problems of the inmates in the facility, she chooses not to get involved despite declaring that she fights for her kind. She comes across as arrogant and condescending, especially to Caputo, only to put up a tough façade that will cover her insecurities and fragile personality. However, sometimes she shows some bursts of sensitivity and humanity, especially when other staff members become unbearable. Her objective is to keep issues under wrap so that the prison is not focused upon by the media or running higher authorities – a stint that made Mendez’s aka Pornstache behavior blossom in prison. Avoiding focus meant that she could continue milking ‘the cash cow’ to her benefit. Her behavior mimics the kind of issues faced by 20 th -century prisons, especially those that are private. Private prisons do not see inmates as people whose behavior needs mending. They see them as commodities because the state pays for each inmate (Eisen, 2019). So, their objective becomes to have an inmate stay with them for the longest time possible then get paid the most. With such inadequacies, it becomes difficult for the American society to achieve rehabilitation for those considered not fit to be in society.
Works Cited
Park, J., Yoo, W. S., & Back, K.-J. (2019). Analysing Emotional Labor in the Service Industries: Consumer and Business Perspectives . Frontiers in Psychology.
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Zoukis, C. (2014). College for convicts: the case for higher education in American prisons . McFarland and Company Inc.
Eisen, L.-B. (2019). Inside private prisons: an American dilemma in the age of mass incarceration . Columbia University Press.
