People watch TV, let's face it people watch way too much tv and often times get it confused with reality adding fuel to an imaginary fire. Orange is the New Black is one such show and while I like the show it gives the wrong depiction about prisons and mental health.

This article is excellent in illustrating this point about the show and prisons in general http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/7547334

Here in ct things are slowly turning for the better. A study has been commissioned examining the sex offender registry and it's effectiveness and *gasp* they might actually abolish it or at least only make it for the most at risk people. We have already closed three prisons and have made great strides in second chance programs with more on the way. MA is slowly starting to do the same.

Yet RI is the lone wolf and continues to forge ahead on its own planet with nearly twice as many felony prosecutions as its neighbors. Has a 15% prison overpopulation and spends a whopping 50k per inmate per year. Compare that with its neighbors who spend on average 31k per year. And yet RI continues with a 200 million dollar shortfall in its budget and wonders why it is continually ranked as one of the lowest states.

I digress though. Clearly society as a whole needs to wake up from the fear mongering and realize their tax dollars are better spent somewhere else.