The crimes of the OITNB inmates range in seriousness from theft to murder.
Piper Chapman
Piper earned a 15-month sentence for helping ex-girlfriend Alex Vause smuggle drug money in Europe several years before Season 1.
Alex Vause
Alex Vause landed in jail after working as a drug smuggler for an international cartel. In Season 2, she is released after testifying at the trial of her former boss Kubra. She lands back in jail after she’s caught in possession of a gun by her probation officer (whom Piper tipped off).
Galina ‘Red’ Reznikov
All we know about Red’s crimes is that they’re related to the Russian mafia, whose members regularly frequented her restaurant.
Dayanara ‘Daya’ Diaz
Daya’s exact crime is unclear, but it seems she’s a casualty of her mother Aleida’s relationship with boyfriend Cesar, who sells drugs out of the Diaz family apartment.
Tasha ‘Taystee’ Jefferson
Taystee is jailed after becoming involved in Vee’s drug ring. At one point, she is paroled from prison, but finds it hard to adapt to the rough life waiting for her outside of jail. She ends up violating her parole and is consequently sent back to Litchfield.
Poussey Washington
In a conversation with Taystee, Poussey implied she was busted for selling marijuana in the States.
Suzanne ‘Crazy Eyes’ Warren
Audiences have yet to learn the specific reason for why Crazy Eyes is at Litchfield.
Cindy ‘Black Cindy’ Hayes
As a former TSA agent, Cindy used to steal iPads and other valuables from people’s luggage.
Carrie ‘Big Boo’ Black
Though we’ve seen flashbacks of Big Boo’s upbringing, the nature of the crime that landed her in jail is unclear.
Tiffany ‘Pennsatucky’ Doggett
Pennsatucky was sent to prison for shooting an abortion clinic worker in broad daylight after the employee made a snarky comment about her previous abortions.
Sophia Burset
Transgender character Sophia committed credit card fraud to finance her hormone therapy and sexual reassignment surgery. She was turned in by her own son, who struggled with her transition.
Nicky Nichols
Nichols, who was absent from most of the show’s third season, was addicted to heroin in her pre-prison days and often stole money to fund her habit. She was eventually busted for a heroin-related offense.
Lorna Morello
Morello landed in jail after stalking and threatening a man named Christopher (whom she initially refers to as her fiancé to other inmates) at the same time as running a mail-order scam.
Janae Watson
The former high school track star was arrested after she became involved with a criminal boyfriend and was caught robbing a store.
Leanne Taylor
After growing up in a strict Amish community, Leanne temporarily left her family and got into drugs with a bad crowd. Though she eventually decided to return, she made the mistake of leaving her backpack of incriminating stuff near the outskirts of the town, where the police found it and hauled her in.
Marisol ‘Flaca’ Gonzalez
Flaca was arrested for fraud and endangerment after selling fake acid to students.
Gloria Mendoza
Gloria was arrested for fraud after allowing customers to exchange food stamps for money at the store she ran and keeping some of the money for herself.
Brooke Soso
Soso was imprisoned for her political activism.
Norma Romano
As shown in Season 3, Norma fell in love with a cult leader in her younger years. Years later, after all of the other wives had abandoned him, he becomes bitter and verbally abusive. Finally fed up with his insults, she pushes him off a cliff one day in a surge of anger, leading to his death.
Frieda
Frieda is in jail for a more violent offense, as she once tells the other inmates that she cut off her husband’s penis.
Sister Jane Ingalls
Ingalls was also imprisoned for political protecting, although her years of activism were more radical than Soso’s.
Erica ‘Yoga’ Jones
Yoga is in prison for manslaughter after accidentally shooting and killing an 8-year old child she mistook for a deer on her marijuana farm.
Aleida Diaz
After getting involved with her drug-dealing boyfriend’s business, Aleida was charged for drug ownership and the intent to sell.
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