I'm starting to think this for profit prison system might be a problem...

20 years and she didn't even kill him? TWENTY YEARS?!

I don't think this was really talking about how OITNB got things wrong, it was more so just talking about bizzare things that happened in prison.

One thing that really annoyed me about OITNB is that the guards watched the females shower. For one they stand outside theyre not allowed to watch even in max. Second ONLY FEMALE GUARDS ARE ALLOWED TO DO SHOWERS. If a male guard sees you naked or strip searches you the female inmate can have a PREA case. Which is the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) means to law enforcement preventing sexual assault and harassment of arrestees by employees and preventing sexual assault of arrestees by other arrestees. Which has been in effect since 2003.

Thank you Cracked for shining a light on things people don't want to look at or take responsibility for.

Wow. 18 months for STEALING drugs? I didn't even think it was a crime to steal drugs. Who would report that someone stole their drugs?

I'm glad she was honest about how black inmates are treated

I spent 11 days in a a florida jail for accidentally breaking a window and having the arresting officer say it was "criminal mischief". After my arraignment the court agreed to dismiss all charges because of how ludicrous the situation was but I never got that week and a half of my life compensated for and I lost my job. This was all so that they could make a few hundred dollars off of me in fees and manditory donations.

It seems like they got waaay more things right than wrong :/

How is america not on the human rights abuse watchlist?

Uhhh according to this prisoner and video, OITNB is pretty spot on.

while most of the abuse of power, sexual abuse and such is appalling. I don't see anything wrong with timing people shaving. I mean it is in no way a necessity or human right to shave ones legs. And at the end of the day that is a razor and people do hurt themselves and others with them. if they didn't check on an inmate and she killed herself and was just left bleeding for an hour then what?

orange is the new black - where everyone is gay

When I was in jail tampons and pads were readily available, and we did use them for everything. Just saying. The show does glamorize jail but it's not entirely inaccurate.

"She got 25 years for firing a warning shot at her abusive husband." Wasn't she the one who told him to leave, he left, then she went and got her gun, and chased him down to fire a warning shot?

Alexander's "warning shot" nearly hit her husband's head and his two kids. Prior to getting the gun she walked out if the house, into the garage, grabbed a gun, then returned inside the house. Alexander put his hands up but she shot anyways. Not saying her husband was a good person but, ya know, facts n'stuff.

CRACKED, you guys do *awesome realism.*

Though Orange is the new black did get it right about how private prisons function.

a show isn't 100% accurate. well I never.

its just a Netflix series why are they taking it seriously

Wait, it's illegal to protect your own life?......What?

Wow these videos are highly informative and interesting, thanks Cracked!

lol what the hell is wrong with US prisons.

In the article on the screen it says she got three years. Apparently it was reduced after a plea deal when her original sentence was overturned. That's kind of important information, no?

Spotlighting specific cases is such a dangerous game. jail time for a warning shot is crazy, but so is only getting 700 hours community service for beating your child to death. The system is broken, but I do appreciate these types of videos and what they try to do.

At one point, it kind of came off as presenting birth control as a way to prevent STDs, which is a VERY dangerous message, even if it is unintended.

Lol Ive worked in prisons and jails for more than 6 years now, including a women's prison. The "source" in this video sounds legit in the things she describes. Some of these things did not happen in my facilities including the STD segregation or the stinginess on feminine pads. As for the video narrator, you lost any respect from me over the "type of man that becomes a prison guard" comment. 99% of prison guards do a thankless and dangerous job. They understand responsibility and workplace safety. It has been my experience that the small percentage of officers who cross the line with inmates lose all respect from their soon to be former co-workers. These are garbage people who betray their coworkers by putting themselves in a position to be blackmailed or by giving special privileges to certain inmates. These garbage officers literally make the workplace less safe for everyone and receive nothing but scorn from the other 99% of corrections officers. You'd be lucky to have friends or family that is the type of man or woman that becomes a prison guard.

Didn't the woman who write the books go to prison too - I'm pretty sure that's why she wrote the them in the first place, because a lot of the characters are similar to the ones in the prison she attended, as well as the stories she tells. I'm also sure that she plays a big part in how the show is made. Obviously they're going to glamour it up a little - it's a comedy/drama TV show.

That is messed up! How backward is the American prison system. Then again it may just be the prison system in general.

How did the show get the whole guards banging the prisoners thing wrong exactly? That happens in the show

As far as I can tell OITNB got it all right. Sure they may have added a bit more appeal when it comes to steamy sex but I feel that they have always put a lot of weight on how the living conditions in prison are shit. Everything mentioned in this video I feel like the show has covered, especially in the newest season.

Marrisa fired a warning shot inches from her husband's head, with the bullet ricocheting into the ceiling, with her children in the same room. She claimed her husband was abusive, but as far as I'm aware that was never found to be true. Also, a warning shot was not legal at the time of her case, so she was sentenced. She refused a 3 year plea deal. Being threatened over text doesn't give you cause to fire a gun at someone. 20 years is harsh, but it's 20 years because "The law's name comes from three main mandatory sentences: 1) producing a firearm during the commission of certain felonies mandates at least a 10-year prison sentence; 2) firing one mandates at least a 20-year prison sentence; and 3) shooting someone mandates a minimum sentence of 25 years to life regardless of whether a victim is killed or simply injured. The maximum penalty is a life sentence unless the defendant is charged with felony murder or first degree murder in which case the maximum is the death penalty" A good lawyer would have informed her of this. With that being said, 20 years is harsh, but I still think she should have jail time. Also, verbal abuse doesn't give anyone the right to escalate it physically.

why would they give away condoms in a women's prison

You can't have your own razor?! That damn place is run like a prison!!

"The kind of men who become prison guards..." What is that supposed to mean?

Why shave your legs in prison at all?

You should do one on male prisons

Wait so what did the Source do? 00:35 Helping boyfriend steal drugs 5:46 Conspiracy to distribute crack 8:15 Drug possession So did she have it, steal it, or was selling it?

Marissa Alexander went to her husband's home unannounced after months of separation. She started an argument and attempted to murder him in front of his children. One of whom was standing next to the husband when she shot at him and missed. She shouldn't have been there and could have left at any time.

"the kind of men who become prison guards" um....what?

Wait, was that woman at the end the one in Florida who tried to use the 'stand your ground' defence a few months after the Zimmerman case but got told that didn't apply by the judge?

Ugh. Need to up our prison standards. If you can't afford to keep people locked up humanely, then don't lock them up.

"The kind of men to become a prison guard" my dad retired as one you shut up he was one of the best ones, saved a ton of them and is the best man I know. Don't sterotype!!

But the series come from the book written by a woman who went to prison. It's actually her story as Piper

I suppose it doesn't bother you that the "warning shot" was in the direction of her two children?

Also. can't speak for any other department. but in TDCJ the inmates male or female get razors and hygiene products weekly. This is mostly describing private prisons. (Which i think shouldn't exist)

One thing I've learned from the podcast, "Ear Hustle", it's that all prisons are different. Some are more violent, or less restrictive, or have different educational/work programs that impact the relationships among the prisoners and guards.

"...The kind of men who become prison guards." Like the kind of men who want to provide for their family?

But not all American prisons are the same.

first off you're in prison the prison system shouldn't have to supply you with condoms or any type of prevention of STDs you're not supposed to be having sex it's not a big cage where you can hook up with whoever you want to you're being punished

Marissa Alexander did not "fire a warning shot at her abusive husband". She went to his house to confront him with a gun, and she fired a shot at him when he tried forcing her out. And "firing warning shots" is still illegal. What if that bullet ricocheted and killed someone?

The kind of message you should take from this video is not “prisoners are mistreated” but “don’t be a criminal”

She got 18 months for a drug offense? How much did her boyfriend get.

Why did you help smuggle drugs? You know that is illegal you know you're going to end up in a piece of shit prison, so why do it?

Yeah, the whole point of prison is to be shitty so you don't want to go back. You guys get that, right?

you were in a minimum security prisson those things are like getting a slap on the wrist compared to other prissons

Watching these makes me want to be a guard so I could help somehow with those women (or even men in prison also) not get harassed for not doing things for other guards. Those people are there to do time not get harassed by guards even if they did do a crime everyone can agree is horrible. No reason to be a dick to them....and yes this comment is coming from someone with the name "Bum" in the name

Power imbalance?!?! Of course there is they are guards, Like cmon man

The video's bio says it 'glamorizes' women's prisons. OITNB has taken on topics such as race, rape and prison killings. That isn't glamorizing.

I take issue with the fact that a lot of the footage is clearly very old and therefore not an accurate representation of modern women's prisons.

I worked in a Federal women's prison in California from 2005-2006 as a vocational instructor. I would say guards were not a 'certain type' meaning they took the job to have sex with the inmates, almost every guard I met was ex-military making the transition from military to civilian formwork, but staying within the government. That being said, sex between inmates and guards does happen, and is probably the largest issue with women's prisons.

As a veteran of the US armed forces, I find it hilarious that prisons also call it "sick call." I don't find it surprising, though.

You could do one on mental institutions for teenagers. The truth really needs to be heard there. Because I've been to two, and one wasn't a real institution. The second one needs to be talked about. People will say: "Oh, you sent yourself there with your behavior" or "It couldn't have been that bad, they can't beat you and you get 3 meals a day". The three meals I can't argue but they could beat you and file that you attacked them and they defended themselves. I would happily talk about what I went through in there. Thankfully I was in there a little over 2 weeks because my parents fought tooth and nail to get me out after I told them what the inside was like. They don't want to talk about it now. I went two years ago and I remember it clear as day. That place, and others like it are not like the brochures and websites. Those are a public mask so they keep funding coming in.

It didn’t take very long before they blamed the sex mainly on the male guards.

"The kind of Men who become prison guards" What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Quick note from Brasil: over here, in 2014, there were almost 34 thousand women in prison and the number has grown 11% a year since 2005. 58% of them were imprisoned for crimes related to drug trafficking, usually working in the most vulnerable "jobs" of the illegal drug market. 50% are between 18 and 29. 68% are black or brown.

For 7 of the 9 years I've been clean, I've been trying to spread the message of this short, sweet, spot-on video. Once again, y'all nailed it. People are told by counselors & treatment centers & clinics that what they have to fight is addiction. That they're gonna see a bright, beautiful, new life for themselves unfold- after all the hard work of beating addiction. But, instead, after all that hard work, you're suddenly faced with all the reasons you started using to begin with. Except now you're facing them sober, for first time in X amount of years. Getting clean is a great way to see what shambles your life is in, & to be intimately re-introduced to your demons. Which obviously doesn't sound encouraging. But, ya gotta recognize your issues before you can fix them. No one starts using because they're addicted; obviously. Yet, addiction & rehab centers nation-wide, focus almost exclusively on addiction, & do nothing to address the reason people need spent enough time using to build that addiction. It makes me crazy. Dual diagnosis places are half-way there. The thing they don't realize is that every addict qualifies as dual diagnosis: people don't use drugs to the point of addiction, unless something else is going on. & it's that something that needs to be addressed. But, I doubt that's the direction our current administration is going to take on the 'opioid epidemic'. Sorry for the preaching. I watch as many Cracked videos as I can find, & I have for years. But this is the first I couldn't help but comment on. It hit a nerve, in a good way. Wonderful job, Cracked!

A lot of this they actually got right like revenge searches and guard/prisioner relationships. I get why they glamorize love and sex, because if that show was any darker and they didn't give viewers in rays of sunshine it would be impossible to watch. With that being said, I hope that the system will at the very least start treating inmates like human beings.

So seems like they got a lot right?! Lol

Marissa Alexander shot at head range as her estranged husband was getting ready to leave his house with his kids. She went from the common area to her car to get her gun, came back in the house to give off her "warning shot." She claimed to fear for her life, yet didn't leave while she was at her car getting a gun.

04:40 they don't allow tampons and pads for many reasons. 1. Cook County had a series of floods from women stuffing hygiene products down the toilets and drains. 2. They are great for starting in fire, which caused Cook County prison to ration them. 3. They were being used as biological hazard weapons and women prisoners were attacking guards with used products. Some people are so broken that they need to be treated like dangerous animals and not sentient human beings. If you don't try to stuff your used tampon down a guards throat, they'll be more likely to let you have tampons.

This is horrible. Cracked I expect better. If this was a opinion piece that wanted to expose the injustices and plight of women in prison it failed. If it wanted to elucidate a single point to take away from this to ponder it failed. If it wanted to look like something that an eighth grader put together over a week of lunch periods, then it succeeded. The production values of this were very subpar, from the echoes in the recording of its "source" to its random footage of fake and real prisons. The succession of images was only barely tied to the narrative, with long stretches of I can only assume prison breaks with women running through halls. Lets start at the beginning. Prison Sex -its against the rules but it happens, so we should accept it, is not an argument although this video seems to assert that. Next, Prison guards - "70% of women prison guards are men, the kind of men who become prison guards." What on earth is this supposed to mean? Is it meant to imply that men who seek to become prison guards are somehow deviants or misogynists? The tone of the narrator seems to be trying to lead to that. If not, then again I ask what? and if so way to smear a large section of people without facts or prior knowledge. I will acknowledge that there are abuses of power, but I would say the exception proves the rule unless you have access to data that shows otherwise. Feminine Hygiene products - How about some editing? Your double entendre "mistake" should have been edited out whether you meant it or not, because it was juvenile and totally went against the whole tone I thought you were trying to set with the narrator format. The security of tampons and such is the same for everything. Razor - pass Sickness and Pregnant - This is what made me make this whole paragraph. You boldtype assertion is that they don't get help when sick or pregnant, then you give two stories that not only do not make your point they actually contradict it! First story, most insurances only cover 1 gynecological visit per year, which is the recommended frequency for women. Why would women in prison need more? The story then says if you went and TOLD someone that you had a problem, you got treatment, but then the source complained that they would have to KEEP going to KEEP getting treatment. How else would you go about that? The next sentence implies that the inmates are relieved of work duties FOR A YEAST INFECTION. I don't know of a woman outside of prison that gets a sick day for that. Finally, the pregnant woman. She was spotting and they put her on bad rest. That is the thing to do if you are trying to keep her from going into labor. Letting her go about her business would likely decrease the time until labor. There is basically nothing else to be done. So the statement that the source gave of complications AS A RESULT of not getting care is undeniably false, unless there are other factors not given in the story. In both stories, care was given, so the whole premise of being left out in the cold is wrong, even as presented by this video. In conclusion, this video is terrible in production values, execution, and coherence of message. This feels like it was slapped together to fill some sort of quota for the maker. Even if you have an agenda you want to tout, your should actually bolster your suppositions, not contradict them.

Oh and as for tampons it might not just be about hording it's more than likely been used to make a shank or other contraband material, there are rules for a reason and just because you personally have never been doesn't mean you can't use common sense to figure it out

So they weren't that far off. Exactly what you should expect from a dramatization.

It's still one of the best shows out there.

lol "in prison you don't get your own razors" REALLY? YOU DONT SAY? this must be for people who have never been in jail/prison before

01:45 "The kind of men who become prison guards" that's some top shelf stereo typing. Do you have any other gems to share with us? "the type of men/women who sale drugs", "the type of men/women who would have a sexual relationship with a fellow inmate for financial gain", or how about "the type of men/women who uses broad brush strokes over sad music to type cast large and diverse groups of individuals"

Power Imbalance between Prisoners and Prison Guards shouldn’t be a complaint.

I'm confused, what exactly did OITNB get wrong, this is basically how it is portrayed on the show with only some minor differences.

What do you mean by "the kinds of men who become prison guards" Why judge a whole profession?

Wow...real nice editing work there at 2:55 , I wonder what the person actually said there?

This is my beloved HUMOR mag CRACKED?LOL :D

Dont fire warning shots, dont leave witnesses, dont leave evidence.

Get a different announcer it’s like you guys want us to dislike your videos with how condescending she sounds

I always hate the idea someone go to prison for self-defense this is why I always said that the System of Justice is full of bullshit.

I’ve had visit friends and family members that went to jail and none of them mention this type of shit to me when I was visiting them..I could tell that they’re things that they don’t tell me because they don’t wanna worry or scare me...but I can tell that there was shit going on...they just don’t wanna mention it..not just to me...but to my cousin and siblings..by the time they got out...I could tell that they seen all levels of horror..but some jails have different situations: for example: in Florida, if you’re convicted and you have a fire arm..you’re gonna get a longer sentence or in some parts of California: if you get incarcerated three times...no matter what you’re charged with: it could range from you’re 15th D.U.I( crazy but true)...to even first degree murder...you’ll never get out: moral of the whole story: don’t make dumb decisions otherwise you’ll end up in jail

No lie I definitely snuck a few piercings into jail lmao

Gods bless our fucked prison system 😒

w8..... u mean women's prisons areNt like OITNB??....psshaw, next thing u will be sayN is that BreakingBad isNt feasible or Agents of Shield is utterly made up in someone's imagination and portrayed in a way to merely facilitate a plot line or two... hrmmph!!!

This is really one of the best videos you guys have posted in a while.

How did Marissa Alexander get 20 years for firing a warning shot at her abusive husband? She didn't even kill him and it was clearly self defense. That's disgusting and i want justice for her... nobody deserves that

How coincidental that someone who helped smugle crack was on Cracked :)

Y'all need to work on your titles

Hollywood doesnt understand how prison works? Thats wierd...

Alexander had served jail time before the self defense incident. Correct me if I'm wrong: This makes it prohibited for her to possess firearms at the time of her self defense incident.

Are you telling me... TV SHOWS ARE FICTION AND NOT REAL LIFE????? D: D: D:

Why would females shave in prison?

Every prison is different.

Am I supposed to be surprised that shows make it more fun to watch?

Remind me again how America is the greatest country. Home of the free. Europeans find this hilarious, btw.