The Reentry Experience of Piper Kerman

Reentry or post-incarnation can be tough for ex-offenders, particularly when the system is unfair. The Orange is the New Black series helps to depict how the American justice system is racially starving (Riese, 2013). This racially diverse female-led show presents the prison system beyond the queer and trans-gendered discourse. The reentry experiences of Piper and Taystee are quite the opposite. It appears that while the system favors Piper’s post-incarnation journey, Taystee continue to struggles. The latter is more likely to return to jail because of the color her skin. The reentry experience of Piper is smooth and seamless. All ex-offenders hope to integrate back to society as Piper did. She went back to employment straightaway after her release from the criminal system. Unlike most released offenders, the system aided her seamless reentry. Her friend had created a position in his company (Riese, 2013). Unfortunately, this is not the case for most prisoners. It is challenging for prisoners, especially the minority to secure any form of employment after their release. Piper’s example illustrates the unfairness of the system, and its wasteful nature in terms of taxpayer’s money and even human potential. Piper, for instance, confesses that most of whom she was locked up with were not only good, but also exhibited greater skills and value (Riese, 2013). Regrettably, the prison system overlooked or failed to nurture their potential. Overall, Piper experiences little or no challenges in her reentry to society because the system favors her. On the other hand, Taystee’s reentry experience was marred with challenges and inequalities. The exchange between Poussey and Taystee in the library, possibly helps to explain the failures of the justice system, which the entire show tries to depict. The possibility of “starting over” for Taystee after her release is a challenging ordeal. For instance, she had no food nor a place to live. It was, therefore, practically impossible to secure any employment. The parole officers are also ever-present in Taystee’s sight. The challenges encountered by Taystee are common among the minorities (Riese, 2013). In other words, her experience epitomizes the inequalities and injustices in the American justice system. Former prisoners with drug-related chargers encounter considerable challenges during their reentry. In The New Jim Crow book, Michelle Alexander examines this issue in detail. Taystee may be ineligible for public housing, food stamps, and other federal-funded welfare programs. This implies that women of color, who are already battling institutional racism and discrimination, would continue suffering during post-incarnation. Taystee represents a class of ‘second-class citizen’ who suffer the stigmatization of their crime during their life. Arguably, in the course of her reentry, Taystee may not enjoy her rights and the needed respect. Taystee’s challenges depict the high-cost of the ineffective parole program. She is supposed to fund her probation or parole by paying fees related to report, jail book, and jail per diems or per day. The inability to fund her reentry can land her back to prison. It is almost impossible for her to secure any decent job because of the background checks. The imprisonment left a considerable gap in her employment history, experience, and training (Alexander, 2010). In general, Taystee lacks the resources and support to put her life together after her release. In a nutshell, Taystee’s experience relates closely to the challenges of minorities in the U.S. justice system. There are considerable inequalities from the policing, courts, and the prions. For instance, Piper clarifies that most prisoners were skilled, however, the system did not provide any tangible training to foster their knowledge. Upon her release, Taystee must make payments to her parole. Sadly, she may not secure a decent job. These are the pertinent inequalities in the justice system, which have continued to oppress the minorities, resulting in a cycle of injustices.

References 

Alexander, M. (2010).  The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of Colorblindness . The New Press.

Riese. (2013, August 6). How does “Orange is the new Black” compare to life behind bars? Retrieved June 22, 2020, from https://www.bitchmedia.org/post/an-in-depth-look-at-how-orange-is-the-new-black-compares-to-real-life