What the Orange Is The New Black inmates are in prison for

Can you believe the first ever episode of Orange Is The New Black came out in 11 July 2013? That's like, almost a decade ago. Sadly the final episode has also aired, back in 2019 after seven dramatic seasons. But whether you're watching OITNB again, or for the first time, you might have found yourself wondering what the Litchfield residents are actually behind bars for.

Let's go back for a second to the very first series and remind ourselves why the likes of Piper Chapman and Alex Vause are actually in prison. Here's a full run down of the OITNB characters' crimes - and some of them might surprise you.

GBH or attempted murder (presumably)

She set a fellow camper on fire.

She is played by Amanda Fuller.

Drug-related crimes (presumably)

She ran a trafficking operation.

She is played by Vicci Martinez.

Murder

She killed her three children.

She is portrayed by Finnerty Steeves.

Criminal conspiracy and money laundering

Alex convinced her to smuggle drug money through customs.

She is played by Taylor Schilling.

Heroin trafficking and then probation violation

Alex smuggled heroin for drug kingpin Kubra Balik.

She is played by Laura Prepon.

Credit card theft

She needed money for hormone therapy and a gender reassignment operation.

She is played by Laverne Cox.

Drug-related charges

These charges are most likely to do with her mother Aleida's boyfriend Cesar's drug operation.

She is played by Dascha Polanco

Drug-related charges

She let Cesar set up a drug lab in her apartment and helped him with manufacturing. She mentions at one point that she took the fall for him.

She is played by Elizabeth Rodriguez

Felony theft or fraud

We don't know the exact details of her crime, but Big Boo has referred to herself as a "thieving dyke," in the past so her offence is probably theft or fraud.

She is portrayed by Lea DeLaria.

Second degree murder

She shot an abortion clinic worker who made a snide comment about the number of abortions she'd had.

She is portrayed by Taryn Manning

Possession of heroin and breaking and entering

Nicky and a friend broke into a neighbour's apartment to steal their belongings so they could sell them and buy heroin. She was subsequently arrested for breaking and entering while also carrying heroin on her person.

She is portrayed by Natasha Lyonne.

Mail-order fraud, attempted murder, harassment and violating a restraining order

Firstly Morello ran a mail-order scam in which she ordered items online and received them, but claimed they never arrived. She then met a man who she dated for a while before he called it off. Morello proceeded to stalk him, leaving him no choice but to place a restraining order on her. She then made attempts on his and his new girlfriend's life by putting a homemade explosive underneath their car.

She is portrayed by Yael Stone.

Organised crime

After struggling to befriend the wives of a bunch of mobsters who frequented her and husband Dmitri's deli, Red punched the wife of the mob boss in the chest, accidentally rupturing a breast implant. Her and Dmitri were then forced to undertake some extremely unpleasant jobs as punishment, including corpse storage at the deli.

She is played by Kate Mulgrew

Kidnapping and involuntary manslaughter of a minor

She invited a young boy she met at the playground to come to her house to play with her. He soon became scared and tried to escape via a fire escape but slipped and fell.

She is played by Uzo Aduba

Heroin trafficking and parole violation

It's presumed that she was part of Vee's drug ring.

She was portrayed by Danielle Brooks.

Endangerment and fraud

Flaca sold fake LSD, made out of paper and water, to her fellow high school students. But one boy who bought the 'drugs' was suicidal and while thinking he was high, jumped off the roof of their school.

She was played by Jackie Cruz.

Grand theft auto

She attempted to scam a car dealership during a test drive.

She is portrayed by Diane Guerrero.

An accessory to manslaughter

Blanca was arrested for covering up manslaughter when the woman she was caring for hit someone with her car - and she helped cover it up.

She is portrayed by Laura Gómez.

Political protest

She is arrested for protesting logging by living in a tree so it couldn't be cut down.

She is portrayed by Kimiko Glenn.

Drug possession and breaking house-arrest

Leanne was brought up in an Amish community. She briefly left the community with a number of her peers to experience what normal life is like, and during this time she discovers drugs. After deciding to return to her community, a rucksack full of drugs is discovered in a field near her home, and is traced back to her. To avoid being banished, she cooperates with the police and shops in her peers. She is placed under house-arrest for her involvement but after running away because her and her family are being shunned by the community, she breaks her probation.

She is portrayed by Emma Myles.

Drug related charges

A member of OITNB's gang of ex-meth users, viewers assume Angie's in prison for drug possession, though it''s not actually ever confirmed.

She is portrayed by Julie Lake.

Food stamp fraud

A flashback revealed that her business was the centre of a foodstamp fraud scheme.

She is portrayed by Selenis Leyva.

Organised crime

Mei Chang is involved in organised crime, which takes place out of her family's traditional Chinese medicine store. The store also deals illegal animal parts on the side.

She is portrayed by Lori Tan Chinn.

Aggravated assault on a police officer

After two police officers approached Lolly while she was selling coffee from a cart in the street, voices in her head tried to convince her that the officers meant her harm, which triggered her to start yelling in panic and reach for her bell-stick (a stick with bells attached that she shook to drown out the voices). The officers assumed she was reaching for a weapon and she was tackled and arrested, most likely for perceived aggravated assault on a police officer.

She is portrayed by Lori Petty,

Manslaughter of a minor

One night when Yoga Jones was keeping watch on her marijuana field, she got drunk and accidentally shot and killed an 8-year-old boy whom she had mistaken for a deer.

She is portrayed by Constance Shulman.

Murder

After joining a cult and marrying the leader in the '70s, Norma pushes him off a cliff after he mocks her for wasting her life on him.

She is portrayed by Annie Golden.

Murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon

Frieda says at one point that she cut off her husband's penis with a butcher's knife that "wasn't even sharp. She also mentions that she killed four people in one year, plus a cop, but she doesn't remember if she was caught for that or not.

She is portrayed by Dale Soules.

Armed robbery

After falling for a guy called Donte, she became involved with his criminal activities and helped him rob a check-cashing establishment.

She is portrayed by Vicky Jeudy

Embezzlement

She is portrayed by Abigail Savage

Multiple poisonings and murder

During her time working as a coffee barista, she poisoned a number of Jewish people and African Americans.

She is portrayed by Asia Kate Dillon

Tax evasion

She is portrayed by Blair Brown.