On September 17, 2014, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., The Constitution Project (TCP), presented its annual Constitutional Commentary Award to the creators of “Orange is the New Black.” This year’s event was co-sponsored by the Washington Times and the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at James Madison’s Montpelier. Piper Kerman, author of the memoir, “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison,” was present to accept the award and participated in a Constitution Day panel discussion focusing on women in prison.
“Orange is the New Black,” a Netflix original series based on the memoir by Piper Kerman, tells the story of the lives of women affected by a dysfunctional justice system. On the broadest level, OITNB is most concerned with the complicated interactions between race, gender, poverty, sexuality, and discrimination within the criminal justice system. The show is wildly popular, drawing popular culture’s attentions to the issues of fairness, humaneness, and other constitutional concerns about our system of justice like never before.
On behalf of TCP, the Washington Times and the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at James Madison’s Montpelier, we thank you for attending a riveting panel discussion on women in prison. Excerpts from the Netflix original series were also part of the programming.
What
Constitutional Commentary Award Presentation & Panel Discussion
Who
Piper Kerman, author of the memoir, "Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman's Prison"
Kathy Dennehy, former Superintendent of MCI Framingham, the oldest continuously operated women’s prison in the U.S.
Vanessa Ruiz, Senior Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals
Professor Brenda Smith, Washington College of Law at American University
Ruth Marcus, Washington Post (moderator)
When
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Reception begins at 11:30am
Program from 12:00pm to 2:00pm
Where
Arent Fox, LLP
1717 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
