History Characters / OrangeIsTheNewBlack

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackStaff Prison Staff]] [[note]]Jack, Danny, Linda, Josh, Fig, Bell, O'Neill, Bennett, Maxwell, Donaldson, Ford, Luschek, Pornstache, Fischer, Gerber, Coates, Sikowitz, Piscatella, Mc Collough, Dixon, Humphrey, Stratman, Blake, Rogers, Dimaguiba[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackStaff Prison Staff]] [[note]]Jack, Danny, Linda, Josh, Fig, Bell, O'Neill, Bennett, Maxwell, Donaldson, Ford, Luschek, Pornstache, Fischer, Gerber, Coates, Sikowitz, Piscatella, McCollough Dixon, Humphrey, Stratman, Blake, Rogers, Dimaguiba[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackMainCharacters Main Characters]] [[note]]Piper, Alex, Healy, Red, Larry, Crazy Eyes, Taystee, Nicky, Pennsatucky, Gloria, Black Cindy, Daya, Maria, Caputo, Morello, Poussey[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackHispanic Hispanic Inmates]] [[note]]Aleida, Maria, Maritza, Flaca, Rosa, Flores [[/note]]
* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackWhite White Inmates]] [[note]]Anita, Big Boo, Norma, Gina, Tricia, Yoga Jones, Sister Ingalls, Leanne, Angie, Loretta, Jimmy, The Golden Girls, Weeping Woman, Lolly, Stella[[/note]]
* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackAsian Asian Inmates]] [[note]]Soso, Chang[[/note]]
* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackStaff Prison Staff]] [[note]]Figueroa, Pornstache, Bennett, Fischer, Bell, O'Neill, Luschek, Maxwell, Donaldson, Ford, Gallego, Dimaguiba, Coates[[/note]]
* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackOther Other Characters]] [[note]]Polly, Cal, Bill & Carol, Howard & Amy, Pete, Cesar, Yadriel, Jean Baptiste, Crystal[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackBlack Black Inmates]] [[note]]Sophia, Janae, Vee, Miss Claudette[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackMainCharacters Main Characters]] [[note]]Piper, Alex, Healy, Red, Larry, Crazy Eyes, Taystee, Nicky, Pennsatucky, Gloria, Black Cindy, Daya, Caputo, Morello, Poussey[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackMainCharacters Main Characters]] [[note]]Piper, Alex, Healy, Miss Claudette, Red, Larry, Crazy Eyes, Taystee, Nicky, Pennsatucky, Gloria, Black Cindy, Daya, Caputo, Morello, Poussey[[/note]]
* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackBlack Black Inmates]] [[note]]Sophia, Janae, Vee[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackWhite White Inmates]] [[note]]Anita, Big Boo, Norma, Gina, Tricia, Yoga Jones, Sister Ingalls, Leanne, Angie, Loretta, Jimmy, The Golden Girls, Weeping Woman[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackStaff Prison Staff]] [[note]]Figueroa, Pornstache, Bennett, Fischer, Bell, O'Neill, Luschek, Maxwell, Donaldson, Ford, Gallego, Dimaguiba[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackBlack Black Inmates]] [[note]]Sophia, Janae, Vee, Black Cindy [[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackWhite White Inmates]] [[note]]Anita, Big Boo, Morello, Norma, Gina, Tricia, Yoga Jones, Sister Ingalls, Leanne[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackStaff Prison Staff]] [[note]]Figueroa, Caputo, Pornstache, Bennett, Fischer, Bell, O'Neil, Luschek, Eliqua[[/note]]
* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackOther Other Characters]] [[note]]Polly, Cal, Bill & Carol, Howard & Amy, Pete, Larry, Cesar, Yadriel, Jean Baptiste, Crystal[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackOther Other Characters]] [[note]]Polly, Pete, Cal, Carol, Bill, Cesar[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackMainCharacters Main Characters]] [[note]]Piper, Alex, Healy, Red, Larry, Taystee, Suzanne, Nicky, Pennsatucky, Poussey, Daya, Gloria, Miss Claudette[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackHispanic Hispanic Inmates]] [[note]]Aleida, Maria, Maritza, Flaca, Rosa[[/note]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackMainCharacters Main Characters]]
* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackBlack Black Inmates]]
* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackHispanic Hispanic Inmates]]
* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackWhite White Inmates]]
* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackAsian Asian Inmates]]
* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackStaff Prison Staff]]
* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackOther Other Characters]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackOther Other Characters]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackStaff Prison Staff Main Characters]]

* [[Characters/OrangeIsTheNewBlackOther Other Characters]]
[[foldercontrol]]

[[foldercontrol]]







[[folder:Other Characters]]
!!Polly Harper
->'''Played By:''' Maria Dizzia

Piper's best friend, outside of prison. She is married to Pete with whom has just had a baby, Finn. Polly and Piper own a business together.

* DeadpanSnarker: She's the Queen of snark.
-->''"I like being the target of envy. It means I'm winning."''
* ItsAllAboutMe
* {{Jerkass}}: Gets indignant at Piper for not putting her mundane personal problems as a higher concern than her prison horrors, and runs Piper's dreams of starting a company into the ground due to being too distracted by her pregnancy to deal with it.
** JerkassHasAPoint: A lot of her actions lean toward ItsAllAboutMe, but she does have a point in that she and Larry shouldn't be expected to constantly downplay and ignore their own day-to-day problems just because Piper is in prison.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Piper.

!!Pete Harper
->'''Played By:''' Nick Stevenson

!!Cal Chapman
->'''Played By:''' Michael Chernus

Piper's brother who lives in a trailer out in the wilderness, with his fiancée.

* AloofBigBrother: Not much fazes him. Even when Piper tells her family she's going to prison because of her drug-smuggling past (with added lesbians) he remains very laid-back.
* FourthDateMarriage: Had been dating his girlfriend for two months before proposing to her.
* [[GranolaGirl Granola Guy]]: Cal lives in a trailer in the woods and is dedicated to 'authentic living', which includes hunting your food (though he cheats with store-bought chicken) and edging.
* NiceGuy: He's an honest, non-judgmental friendly fellow.
* TheUnfavourite: In the backstory, Cal was the least successful of the three Chapman children; now that Piper's a convict, though, he mentions that his parents have suddenly taken an interest and use deceptively complimentary language when talking about him to their friends.

!!Cesar
->'''Played By:''' Berto Colon

Aleida's boyfriend, who ran a drug-cutting operation in her kitchen.

* BaldOfEvil: He's a bald drug dealer.
* ManipulativeBastard: He essentially uses Aleida to further his drug-cutting operation, dropping her once she gets caught while he remains a free man.
* PapaWolf: After learning Daya is pregnant, he immediately heads up to Litchfield to make sure Bennett is on the level (though Bennett had no idea that she is pregnant).
* YourCheatingHeart: When Aleida goes into prison, Cesar begins a relationship with her daughter.

!!Weeping Woman

An inmate who is always on the phone, crying, when Piper calls Larry. Played by Tamara Torres.

* RunningGag
* FunnyBackgroundEvent
* TheNameless : She is only credited as "Weeping Woman."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:White Inmates]]
!!Nicole 'Nicky' Nichols
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nichols_nicole_5729.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"It's like the Hamptons, only fuckin' horrible."'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/NatashaLyonne

A former drug addict, now in Red's group in the prison. Nicky has a loud mouth and is Red's most trusted girl. Red helps Nicky get clean when she lands in prison, and Nicky looks to her as a mother figure. [[spoiler:Her real mother lived in a separate house and Nicky was raised by a nanny. Nicky was involved in a sexual relationship with Morello until Morello broke it off. Nicky has a scar on her chest from having heart surgery as a complication of a bacterial infection in her heart.]]

* DeadpanSnarker
* TheGadfly: Frequently trolls Piper and Alex (mostly Piper, as she is more receptive to being baited) to gain information on their past.
--> '''Nicky:''' She said you were a squirter.
--> '''Piper:''' I don't - that's - once! It happened ''once!'' It took us both by surprise!
--> '''Nicky:''' Wow! I was kidding, but good to know!
* LipstickLesbian
* MessyHair
* MetaCasting: The scar on her chest? It's real. Natasha Lyonne really ''did'' have heart surgery a few years back, and it really ''was'' from a bacterial infection resulting from use of a dirty needle.
* MommyIssues: She hates her mother for choosing to live in a different home as she was growing up because her new husband didn't like kids. Nicky was subsequently raised by a nanny.
* ParentalSubstitute: Red is hers, as she tells Piper when Piper is genuinely confused why Nicky calls Red "Mommy".
* PrincessInRags: Apparently came from a wealthy family and used to travel the world. Alex comments that she would be exactly the kind of person she'd target.
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!!Anita De Marco
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/12343525665465467613523_6815.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Lin Tucci

* DeadpanSnarker
* TheMentor
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!!Carrie "Big Boo" Black
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/boobobobobobobobobo_1222.png]]
->'''Played By''': Lea DeLaria

A lesbian inmate who has had several "wives" during her incarceration. She cares for a service dog named "Little Boo."

* {{Badass}}
* ButchLesbian
* DeadpanSnarker: Of a legendary kind.
* EverythingsPreciousWithPuppies: Little Boo. Whose arrival marked a softening in Big Boo's attitude.
* IfICantHaveYou[=/=]MurderTheHypotenuse: [[spoiler:Subverted.]] After lots of talk about how Boo messed with one of her girlfriends on their last day to keep her in and a significant shot of Boo [[spoiler:holding the missing screwdriver]] with a wicked gleam in her eyes on the day Mercy is released, one of the last shots of the episode is Boo... [[spoiler:''masturbating'' with the screwdriver]].
* ManipulativeBitch
* TattooedCrook

!!Lorna Morello
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/morello_lorna_8737.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"We look out for our own."'']]
->'''Played By''': Yael Stone

A Brooklyn-Italian inmate planning her wedding for her release. Morello is the first inmate that Piper talks to, and she helps Piper acclimate in her first few days. [[spoiler:She is involved in a lesbian relationship with Nichols at the beginning of the show but breaks it off after feeling that she was cheating on her fiancè.]]

* BiTheWay[=/=]SituationalSexuality
* TheDitz: There are in fact only two Boras in the locale Bora Bora, but Morello is not the sharpest screwdriver on the wall.
* WhiteCollarCrime: It's heavily implied that the reason Morello is in jail is because she was a scammer.
* LargeHam: During the Nativity Play, as Mary.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Despite being one of the most genuinely sweet people in the prison, she is pretty casually racist and only seems to interact with other white inmates.
* SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl: Invoked; Morello's lipstick and hairstyle call to mind the Fifties, but (unfortunately) so do her attitudes towards other races (thanks to WestSideStory).
* WideEyedIdealist: Or the closest she can get in prison, believing [[spoiler:her fiance will stick around despite him having only visited her once.]]
* YourCheatingHeart

!!Norma Romano
->'''Played By''': Annie Golden

An inmate who's slightly more timid than her peers. Rarely speaks. Part of Red's crew.

* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:Uses her voice for the first time in the season 1 finale, displaying a beautiful singing voice and surprising everyone during the Christmas pageant.]]
* TheVoiceless: Never speaks, or uses sign language, or even tries to use body gestures. She only communicates through writing.

!!Tricia Miller
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/miller_tricia_4657.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Madeline Brewer

A prison inmate and drug addict who grew up on the streets. Miller is a drug addict and lesbian who sports a tattoo on her throat. She gets her drugs from guard Mendez, who threatens her after being late with a delivery. [[spoiler:Miller dies of an overdose after being locked in a closet with drugs by Mendez. The prison covers up her death as a suicide.]]

* AbusiveParents: She makes reference to her ''rapist stepdad''.
* ButtMonkey: She's had a terrible life. [[spoiler:And it ends in a terrible way.]]
* DumbBlonde: Tricia is a sweet girl, but is cursed by her lack of education as much as an innate lack of intelligence.
* NiceGirl: One of the most sincere and genuinely nice inmates of the cast. Even girls who didn't regularly interact with her comment on her "good vibe."
* LipstickLesbian
* ListOfTransgressions: Keeps a notebook with a list of everything she's ever stolen, so she can eventually make amends.
* [[spoiler:SacrificialLamb]]
* [[spoiler:TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Discussed by her former clique.]]

!!"Yoga" Jones
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yogajones_6100.png]]
->'''Played By''': Constance Shulman

An inmate who teaches yoga. [[spoiler:She once was a marijuana farmer who accidentally shot and killed a child, thinking he was a deer eating her crop.]] Jones displays extreme calm in all of her appearances, [[spoiler:until being taunted by Watson for killing a child, causing Jones to slap Watson in the face. Jones later confides in Watson about the child she killed, and they are able to become friends.]]

* TheAtoner: For her crime.
* BewareTheNiceOnes
* DarkSecret: The reason for her imprisonment, more so than anyone else's. [[spoiler:She accidentally shot an eight-year-old, thinking he was one of the deer that had been eating her marijuana supply]].
* DisproportionateRetribution: Twice over. Given the context for her backstory, she's almost certainly in jail for possession with intent to distribute, rather than [[spoiler:the involuntary manslaughter of an eight year old boy she tortures herself over.]] This means she's serving harder time due to the War on Drugs than she otherwise would, but doesn't care because she feels she deserves it.
* TheHeart
* HeyItsThatVoice: [[{{Doug}} Patti Mayonnaise]] apparently took a dark turn later in life.
* {{Nice G|uy}}irl
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!!Sister Ingalls
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sisterengalls_1058.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Beth Fowler

An inmate who was a nun. Initially believed to be a murderer but was arrested for peaceful demonstration. Friends with Sophia.

* CoolOldLady: Very good at offering helpful insight to Sophia and can deadpan deflect Pennsatucky's attempts at claiming 'Third Amendment rights' by quoting the actual Third Amendment from memory.
* GoodShepherd: Even not compared to Pennsatucky, she's possibly the kindest and most level-headed character (let alone Christian) on the show.
* NunTooHoly: Frequently invoked by others, but subverted: people try to demonize her for various reasons by claiming she murdered someone.
* OddFriendship: Though Sophia initially saddled up to her to try and get her post-menopausal estrogen supplements, the two became legitimate friends.

!!Leanne Taylor
->'''Played By''': Emma Myles

* DumbBlonde
* TheDragon: For Pennsatucky.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain
* VillainousFriendship: With Pennsatucky, who she admires and trails after.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Guards]]
!!George "Pornstache" Mendez
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mendez_george_2335.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"It doesn't matter what you do. It's the doin' that makes you dirty."'']]
->'''Played By''': Pablo Schreiber

A corrupt and seemingly psychopathic prison guard who frequently abuses his authority; his personality can be both laughably exaggerated as well as frightening. Mendez uses his position as a guard to smuggle drugs and contraband into the prison.

* AccidentalPun: Upon being asked whether homosexuals have appropriated mustaches as a gay symbol, Pornstache denies this, insisting that they're "for fucking men!"
* TheAggressiveDrugDealer: He's not ready to just let his little side business dry up.
-->''"The borrower is slave to the lender. That's from proverbs, right there. Saw it on a bumper sticker."''
* BeautyInversion: Without the spiky hair and creepy black moustache, clean-shaven Pablo Schreiber in reality looks like he could make the cover for GQ magazine; fans of Mendez are repeatedly amazed at how little Schreiber resembles his on-screen character in real life.
* [[DirtyCop Dirty Guard]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Given how eagerly he abuses his power and authority, it says a lot when even ''he'' believes that [[spoiler:Healy throwing Piper into the SHU [[DisproportionateRetribution for dancing with Alex in a somewhat provocative manner]]]] was uncalled for.
* EvilIsPetty
* FauxAffablyEvil
* {{Jerkass}}
* KickTheSonOfABitch: His dressing-down of the judgmental, God-bothering Pennsatucky.
* LargeHam: He tears apart Piper and Miss Claudette's cube while humming 'In the Hall of the Mountain King'.
* {{Pornstache}}: His namesake.
* VillainousCrush: [[spoiler:On Daya.]]

!!John Bennett
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bennett_john_7544.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Matt [=McGorry=]

A correctional officer who enters into a secret relationship with Daya.

* ArtificialLimbs: Has a prosthetic leg below his left knee.
* JerkassFacade: Like Susan below, Bennett acts rather abrasively towards inmates as part of his job. However, his interactions with Daya are genuinely sweet.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: Downplayed, but he expressed incredulous horror at Pornstache even considering having sex with Sophia (and the issue was very pointedly not with any of the consent or losing his job issues Bennett later runs into in his own relationship with Daya, if you know what I mean).
* PhonyVeteran: Zig-zagged. He did serve in Afghanistan, [[spoiler: but his prosthetic leg is not a war wound. He lost it in a dirty hot tub in Orlando]].
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!!Susan Fischer
->'''Played By''': Lauren Lapkus

A rookie prison guard, hired onto the prison staff during Piper's time at Litchfield. Fischer used to bag groceries at the store where Piper and Larry shopped, and recalls how Piper used to be a difficult customer. However she is friendly toward Piper, informing her that she does not think any less of her for being in prison, since the only difference between them is that Fischer didn't get caught making mistakes. Piper appreciates her kind words and convinces her to reopen the prison track. She displays a perpetually naïve and cheerful demeanor, which endears some (especially Caputo) and irritates others. She struggles to come across as authoritative and strict, and her attempts to appear tough do not appear to intimidate any of the inmates at the slightest, who on occasion, even admonish Susan in return.

* JerkassFacade: Pushed into dehumanizing the inmates by Caputo due to her kindness towards them. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, she picked the wrong day to play rough with Miss Claudette]].
* NaiveNewcomer
* [[NiceGuy Nice Girl]]: She's a genuinely sweet young woman.
* OnlySaneWoman
* ShrinkingViolet

!!Wanda Bell
->'''Played By''': Catherine Curtin

A prison guard, the first person Piper meets when she surrenders to the prison. Bell is gruff and displays a general apathy to others.

* DeadpanSnarker
* {{Jerkass}}: She's pretty jaded and grumpy, but isn't openly sadistic like Mendez.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure

!!S. O'Neil
[[quoteright:264:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/srl5grq_1196.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Joel Marsh Garland

An overweight prison guard in a relationship with Wanda Bell. He is frequently shown eating despite claiming to be on different diets.

* RunningGag: He's always on some kind of new diet plan.
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[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other Prison Staff]]
!!Natalie Figueroa
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fig_599.jpg]]
->'''Played By:''' Alysia Reiner

The prison administrator and subordinate to the warden. Figueroa claims to be a women's advocate for the prisoners but is generally unconcerned with them and refuses to get involved in their problems.

* BiggerBad: All of the problems in the prison are due to 'budget cuts', however turns out the budget has been increasing over the last few years. We see this as we see her shiny new Mercedes. Bought on a government salary.
* TheChessmaster
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: of the rarer government variety. [[spoiler:Not only is she embezzling money from Litchfield's budget on herself to buy luxury cars, but she seems to be actively suppressing any information about the various scandals going on in the prison from leaking out and leading to a larger investigation, probably to avoid being audited.]]
** [[spoiler:She has Tricia's body cremated immediately after being discovered even though her death was from drug overdose rather than hanging.]]
** [[spoiler:Has Pornstache merely suspended with pay after being caught in the act having sex with an inmate.]]
** [[spoiler:Strongly tries to dissuade Bennett from filing a report after discovering drugs being smuggled into the prison.]]
* DeskJockey: Caputo accuses her of being this, and he's right. She turns up for one day to let the inmates know they can see her whenever they want, then promptly disappears. She doesn't give a damn about a single one of them and doesn't interact with them, as such she has some of the least amount of screen time of all the other staff members.
* IronLady: Fig is stone-cold, but she perceives herself as needing to be to handle the demands of her job.
* ManipulativeBitch
* SurroundedByIdiots: The demands of her job include dealing with the guards being repulsive and Caputo being inept as much as anything.

!!Joe Caputo
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/caputo_8384.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"This place fucking stinks."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Nick Sandow

The prison counselor. Caputo dislikes Healy, whom he feels is not tough enough on the inmates. Caputo is also adversarial toward Figueroa, whose job he wants. He has a crush on Susan Fischer.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Toward Susan, although it may just be lust, he does seem pretty upset when [[spoiler:he finds out she has a handsome boyfriend her own age.]]
* TheBully: Toward Healy, who he calls 'Samantha'. It's a case of KickTheSonOfABitch, though.
* ADateWithRosiePalms: In his first meeting with the attractive Piper, he does this after she leaves the room.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He refuses to let Healy get away with his homophobic vendetta and strongly dislikes Mendez (despite a spot of bonding over their moustaches).
* {{Jerkass}}: Caputo can be a bit of a prick from time to time.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: When push comes to shove, he tends to do the right thing or at least tries to.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: He bullies Healy and treats him like shit, but Healy is more morally bankrupt than Caputo.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He may be a hardass and sometimes a jerk, but he's far more reasonable than Healy or Mendez. Even the inmates consider him to be 'okay'.
* {{Slimeball}}: In his interactions with Susan. It's unintentional, though. He simply has trouble being charming.

!!Joel Luschek
->'''Played By:''' Matt Peters

The sarcastic, uncaring and barely competent young prison guard who runs the electrical shop. He displays blatant racism, and generally doesn't care what the women in the shop do as long as they leave him alone- his method of teaching repairs tends to consist of handing his inmates a manual for the broken appliance and giving them a few minutes to read before sending them off.

* TheAlcoholic: It's strongly implied that him coming into work drunk is a frequent occurrence.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's a lazy racist who treats other people like a genuine inconvenience.
* MrFixit: Although at no point is he ever actually shown to successfully fix ''anything''.
* PunchClockVillain: Luschek's main goal is to sit at the back of his shop and do as little work as possible with as little interaction with inmates as possible.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Makes no attempt to hide his racism and flaunts it in front of the inmates.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Black Inmates]]
!!Sophia Burset
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/burset_sophia_2588.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I've given five years, eighty thousand dollars and my freedom for this."'']]
->'''Played By''': Laverne Cox

A transgender firefighter who had a wife and child before transitioning. She cuts hair in the prison and later, strikes up a friendship with Sister Ingalls.

* ADayInTheLimelight: "Lesbian Request Denied"

* {{Determinator}}: Don't get between her and her hormones because anything that stops her from being herself will not stand.
* LipstickLesbian: Is still married to her wife, and while her attraction to Sophia might by slipping away, it's clear that they still truly care for each other.
* MetaCasting: Sophia is possibly the highest-profile transgender character presented in the media who's actually portrayed by a transgender actress.
* OddFriendship: Though Sophia initially sidled up to Sister Ingalls to try and get her post-menopausal estrogen supplements, the two became legitimate friends.
* SitcomArchnemesis: The unseen Danita is Sophia's only competition (for a certain value of competition) in hair care and she warns everyone about her and her inability to do hair without 'burning the shit out of your scalp'.
* TimeShiftedActor: Sophia is played by the actress' brother in the character's pre-op flashbacks.
* {{Transsexual}}
* TwoferTokenMinority: Three, actually; she's a black transgender bisexual.

!!Janae Watson
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/watson_janae_7910.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Vicky Jeudy

A young inmate who was a track and field star at her high school. Arrested for robbing a convenience store for alcohol.

* ADayInTheLimelight: "Blood Donut"
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Part of why she ended up in prison.
* BrutalHonesty: Has no qualms about speaking her mind, which unfortunately often gets her into trouble.
* NoGuyWantsToBeChased: All her life, men seem to have been distant from her because she was simply too fast and too much better than them. The reason she was arrested was only because she finally tried to slow herself down for a guy.
* OddFriendship: With Yoga Jones.

!!Poussey Washington
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/poussey_4374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"My name is Poussey. Accent à droite, bitch."'']]
->'''Played By''': Samira Wiley

A prison inmate. She has been in prison for two years at the start of the series and has four years left. Her mother died while she was in prison. She is a good-natured jokester and is often seen with her best friend, "Taystee", whom she helps out in the library.

* BaldWoman
* DeadpanSnarker
* [[ThoseTwoGuys Those Two Girls]]: With Taystee, then later, with Black Cindy.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Taystee, though the two really are close.

[[folder:Hispanic Inmates]]
!!Aleida Diaz
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/diaz_aleida_9149.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Elizabeth Rodriguez

Daya's incarcerated mother. She was involved with a man who had her cutting and bagging drugs in her kitchen. In flashbacks, it is shown that she had little concern for her children and was obsessed with her boyfriend. She says during a visitation that she took a fall for him and is upset that he won't visit her.

* AbusiveParent: She held a ''meth lab'' in her children's home, ignores (and verbally abuses) her children, and tells her oldest daughter it's basically ''her'' responsibility to take care of four other kids.
* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother : Elizabeth Rodriguez was 33 at the time the show aired. (It's still plausible the character became pregnant as a young teen only 14 or 15).
* EvilMatriarch
* HairTriggerTemper
* HotBlooded
* ItsAllAboutMe: Ordered her kids to travel 3 hours on a bus to see her in prison just to ask if her boyfriend's cheating.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain
* SingleMomStripper: One scene implies she was possibly a prostitute. It's not really played for sympathy, though.

!!Dayanara "Daya" Diaz
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/diaz_daya_3598.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Dascha Polanco

Aleida's daughter who was responsible for looking after her sisters and brothers before and after her mother was incarcerated. Was incarcerated something after her mother. Didn't grow up speaking Spanish which initially makes her scorned by the other Hispanics.

* AMatchMadeInStockholm: Subverted in that her relationship with Bennett is consensual (to the extent it can be) and not coercive.
* DatingCatwoman: Well, fucking a guard in sheds and broom closets, anyway.
* HoneyTrap: Turns herself into one for Pornstache, [[spoiler:so Bennett won't get in trouble for knocking up an inmate]].
* {{Otaku}}: Pretty much unheard of for a live action American drama. She is a fan of anime, and likes to draw in an {{Animesque}} style.
* PromotedToParent
* [[WellDoneSonGuy Well Done Daughter Girl]]: She and Aleida ''really'' don't get along at first, but [[spoiler:Daya's pregnancy brings them closer together]]. Daya mostly wants Aleida to act like a mother instead of the selfish woman she's been acting like.

!! Maria Ruiz
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/preg_2898.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Jessica Pimentil

Inmate who gives birth in the first season.

* BreakTheCutie: Gives birth, but (this being prison), she has her child taken away from her.
** It's implied the child died, with Pensatucky saying she believes all dead babies get to heaven.
* RecurringExtra
* ScareEmStraight: Tells Daya that her relationship with her mother would scare teenagers into celibacy.

!!Gloria Mendoza
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mendoza_gloria_926.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Selenis Leyva

Inmate from the Hispanic clique, who organizes some of the games and activities. Runs the kitchen in later episodes.

* {{Badass}}: Which she credits to having raised several children.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: In the kitchen. Even after she catches Gina and Norma trying to sabotage things, she keeps them because they are familiar with the area and reminds them that Red lost her domain on her own; they don't need to go down with her.
* SupremeChef: Much to the horror of Red and her crew, the food under her reign is ''delicious''.

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!!Maritza Ramos
->'''Played By''': Diane Guerrero

->''"If you want more pizza, vote for Maritza."''

One of the Hispanic inmates. She introduces herself as Aleida's daughter and gets along well with her, which puts her at odds with Daya. She later runs for a spot on the Women's Advisory Council.

* SpicyLatina: Of all of the Hispanic characters, Maritza really plays this trope up the most.
* ThoseTwoGuys: She is rarely seen without Flaca.

!!Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales
->'''Played By''': Jackie Cruz

->''"''How Soon is Now'' is, like, an eighties anthem."''

Another of the Hispanic inmates, easily recognized by her thick makeup. She is rarely seen without her friend Maritza.

* DeadpanSnarker
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname
* PerkyGoth
* ThoseTwoGuys

[[folder:White Inmates]]
!!Nicole 'Nicky' Nichols
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nichols_nicole_5729.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"It's like the Hamptons, only fuckin' horrible."'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/NatashaLyonne

A former drug addict, now in Red's group in the prison. Nicky has a loud mouth and is Red's most trusted girl. Red helps Nicky get clean when she lands in prison, and Nicky looks to her as a mother figure. [[spoiler:Her real mother lived in a separate house and Nicky was raised by a nanny. Nicky was involved in a sexual relationship with Morello until Morello broke it off. Nicky has a scar on her chest from having heart surgery as a complication of a bacterial infection in her heart.]]

* DeadpanSnarker
* TheGadfly: Frequently trolls Piper and Alex (mostly Piper, as she is more receptive to being baited) to gain information on their past.
--> '''Nicky:''' She said you were a squirter.
--> '''Piper:''' I don't - that's - once! It happened ''once!'' It took us both by surprise!
--> '''Nicky:''' Wow! I was kidding, but good to know!
* LipstickLesbian
* MessyHair
* MetaCasting: The scar on her chest? It's real. Natasha Lyonne really ''did'' have heart surgery a few years back, and it really ''was'' from a bacterial infection resulting from use of a dirty needle.
* MommyIssues: She hates her mother for choosing to live in a different home as she was growing up because her new husband didn't like kids. Nicky was subsequently raised by a nanny.
* ParentalSubstitute: Red is hers, as she tells Piper when Piper is genuinely confused why Nicky calls Red "Mommy".
* PrincessInRags: Apparently came from a wealthy family and used to travel the world. Alex comments that she would be exactly the kind of person she'd target.
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!!Anita De Marco
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/12343525665465467613523_6815.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Lin Tucci

* DeadpanSnarker
* TheMentor
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!!Carrie "Big Boo" Black
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/boobobobobobobobobo_1222.png]]
->'''Played By''': Lea DeLaria

A lesbian inmate who has had several "wives" during her incarceration. She cares for a service dog named "Little Boo."

* {{Badass}}
* ButchLesbian
* DeadpanSnarker: Of a legendary kind.
* EverythingsPreciousWithPuppies: Little Boo. Whose arrival marked a softening in Big Boo's attitude.
* IfICantHaveYou[=/=]MurderTheHypotenuse: [[spoiler:Subverted.]] After lots of talk about how Boo messed with one of her girlfriends on their last day to keep her in and a significant shot of Boo [[spoiler:holding the missing screwdriver]] with a wicked gleam in her eyes on the day Mercy is released, one of the last shots of the episode is Boo... [[spoiler:''masturbating'' with the screwdriver]].

* TattooedCrook

!!Lorna Morello
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/morello_lorna_8737.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"We look out for our own."'']]
->'''Played By''': Yael Stone

A Brooklyn-Italian inmate planning her wedding for her release. Morello is the first inmate that Piper talks to, and she helps Piper acclimate in her first few days. [[spoiler:She is involved in a lesbian relationship with Nichols at the beginning of the show but breaks it off after feeling that she was cheating on her fiancè.]]

* BiTheWay[=/=]SituationalSexuality
* TheDitz: There are in fact only two Boras in the locale Bora Bora, but Morello is not the sharpest screwdriver on the wall.
* WhiteCollarCrime: It's heavily implied that the reason Morello is in jail is because she was a scammer.
* LargeHam: During the Nativity Play, as Mary.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Despite being one of the most genuinely sweet people in the prison, she is pretty casually racist and only seems to interact with other white inmates.
* SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl: Invoked; Morello's lipstick and hairstyle call to mind the Fifties, but (unfortunately) so do her attitudes towards other races (thanks to WestSideStory).
* WideEyedIdealist: Or the closest she can get in prison, believing [[spoiler:her fiance will stick around despite him having only visited her once.]]
* YourCheatingHeart

!!Norma Romano
->'''Played By''': Annie Golden

An inmate who's slightly more timid than her peers. Rarely speaks. Part of Red's crew.

* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:Uses her voice for the first time in the season 1 finale, displaying a beautiful singing voice and surprising everyone during the Christmas pageant.]]
* TheVoiceless: Never speaks, or uses sign language, or even tries to use body gestures. She only communicates through writing.

!!Tricia Miller
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/miller_tricia_4657.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Madeline Brewer

A prison inmate and drug addict who grew up on the streets. Miller is a drug addict and lesbian who sports a tattoo on her throat. She gets her drugs from guard Mendez, who threatens her after being late with a delivery. [[spoiler:Miller dies of an overdose after being locked in a closet with drugs by Mendez. The prison covers up her death as a suicide.]]

* AbusiveParents: She makes reference to her ''rapist stepdad''.
* ButtMonkey: She's had a terrible life. [[spoiler:And it ends in a terrible way.]]
* DumbBlonde: Tricia is a sweet girl, but is cursed by her lack of education as much as an innate lack of intelligence.
* NiceGirl: One of the most sincere and genuinely nice inmates of the cast. Even girls who didn't regularly interact with her comment on her "good vibe."
* LipstickLesbian
* ListOfTransgressions: Keeps a notebook with a list of everything she's ever stolen, so she can eventually make amends.
* [[spoiler:SacrificialLamb]]
* [[spoiler:TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Discussed by her former clique.]]

!!"Yoga" Jones
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yogajones_6100.png]]
->'''Played By''': Constance Shulman

An inmate who teaches yoga. [[spoiler:She once was a marijuana farmer who accidentally shot and killed a child, thinking he was a deer eating her crop.]] Jones displays extreme calm in all of her appearances, [[spoiler:until being taunted by Watson for killing a child, causing Jones to slap Watson in the face. Jones later confides in Watson about the child she killed, and they are able to become friends.]]

* TheAtoner: For her crime.
* BewareTheNiceOnes
* DarkSecret: The reason for her imprisonment, more so than anyone else's. [[spoiler:She accidentally shot an eight-year-old, thinking he was one of the deer that had been eating her marijuana supply]].
* DisproportionateRetribution: Twice over. Given the context for her backstory, she's almost certainly in jail for possession with intent to distribute, rather than [[spoiler:the involuntary manslaughter of an eight year old boy she tortures herself over.]] This means she's serving harder time due to the War on Drugs than she otherwise would, but doesn't care because she feels she deserves it.
* TheHeart
* HeyItsThatVoice: [[{{Doug}} Patti Mayonnaise]] apparently took a dark turn later in life.
* {{Nice G|uy}}irl
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!!Sister Ingalls
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sisterengalls_1058.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Beth Fowler

An inmate who was a nun. Initially believed to be a murderer but was arrested for peaceful demonstration. Friends with Sophia.

* CoolOldLady: Very good at offering helpful insight to Sophia and can deadpan deflect Pennsatucky's attempts at claiming 'Third Amendment rights' by quoting the actual Third Amendment from memory.
* GoodShepherd: Even not compared to Pennsatucky, she's possibly the kindest and most level-headed character (let alone Christian) on the show.
* NunTooHoly: Frequently invoked by others, but subverted: people try to demonize her for various reasons by claiming she murdered someone.
* OddFriendship: Though Sophia initially saddled up to her to try and get her post-menopausal estrogen supplements, the two became legitimate friends.

!!Leanne Taylor
->'''Played By''': Emma Myles

* DumbBlonde
* TheDragon: For Pennsatucky.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain
* VillainousFriendship: With Pennsatucky, who she admires and trails after.

[[folder:Guards]]
!!George "Pornstache" Mendez
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mendez_george_2335.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"It doesn't matter what you do. It's the doin' that makes you dirty."'']]
->'''Played By''': Pablo Schreiber

A corrupt and seemingly psychopathic prison guard who frequently abuses his authority; his personality can be both laughably exaggerated as well as frightening. Mendez uses his position as a guard to smuggle drugs and contraband into the prison.

* AccidentalPun: Upon being asked whether homosexuals have appropriated mustaches as a gay symbol, Pornstache denies this, insisting that they're "for fucking men!"
* TheAggressiveDrugDealer: He's not ready to just let his little side business dry up.
-->''"The borrower is slave to the lender. That's from proverbs, right there. Saw it on a bumper sticker."''
* BeautyInversion: Without the spiky hair and creepy black moustache, clean-shaven Pablo Schreiber in reality looks like he could make the cover for GQ magazine; fans of Mendez are repeatedly amazed at how little Schreiber resembles his on-screen character in real life.
* [[DirtyCop Dirty Guard]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Given how eagerly he abuses his power and authority, it says a lot when even ''he'' believes that [[spoiler:Healy throwing Piper into the SHU [[DisproportionateRetribution for dancing with Alex in a somewhat provocative manner]]]] was uncalled for.
* EvilIsPetty
* FauxAffablyEvil
* {{Jerkass}}
* KickTheSonOfABitch: His dressing-down of the judgmental, God-bothering Pennsatucky.
* LargeHam: He tears apart Piper and Miss Claudette's cube while humming 'In the Hall of the Mountain King'.
* {{Pornstache}}: His namesake.
* VillainousCrush: [[spoiler:On Daya.]]

!!John Bennett
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bennett_john_7544.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Matt [=McGorry=]

A correctional officer who enters into a secret relationship with Daya.

* ArtificialLimbs: Has a prosthetic leg below his left knee.
* JerkassFacade: Like Susan below, Bennett acts rather abrasively towards inmates as part of his job. However, his interactions with Daya are genuinely sweet.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: Downplayed, but he expressed incredulous horror at Pornstache even considering having sex with Sophia (and the issue was very pointedly not with any of the consent or losing his job issues Bennett later runs into in his own relationship with Daya, if you know what I mean).
* PhonyVeteran: Zig-zagged. He did serve in Afghanistan, [[spoiler: but his prosthetic leg is not a war wound. He lost it in a dirty hot tub in Orlando]].
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!!Susan Fischer
->'''Played By''': Lauren Lapkus

A rookie prison guard, hired onto the prison staff during Piper's time at Litchfield. Fischer used to bag groceries at the store where Piper and Larry shopped, and recalls how Piper used to be a difficult customer. However she is friendly toward Piper, informing her that she does not think any less of her for being in prison, since the only difference between them is that Fischer didn't get caught making mistakes. Piper appreciates her kind words and convinces her to reopen the prison track. She displays a perpetually naïve and cheerful demeanor, which endears some (especially Caputo) and irritates others. She struggles to come across as authoritative and strict, and her attempts to appear tough do not appear to intimidate any of the inmates at the slightest, who on occasion, even admonish Susan in return.

* JerkassFacade: Pushed into dehumanizing the inmates by Caputo due to her kindness towards them. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, she picked the wrong day to play rough with Miss Claudette]].
* NaiveNewcomer
* [[NiceGuy Nice Girl]]: She's a genuinely sweet young woman.
* OnlySaneWoman
* ShrinkingViolet

!!Wanda Bell
->'''Played By''': Catherine Curtin

A prison guard, the first person Piper meets when she surrenders to the prison. Bell is gruff and displays a general apathy to others.

* DeadpanSnarker
* {{Jerkass}}: She's pretty jaded and grumpy, but isn't openly sadistic like Mendez.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure

!!S. O'Neil
[[quoteright:264:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/srl5grq_1196.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Joel Marsh Garland

An overweight prison guard in a relationship with Wanda Bell. He is frequently shown eating despite claiming to be on different diets.

* RunningGag: He's always on some kind of new diet plan.
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[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other Prison Staff]]
!!Natalie Figueroa
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fig_599.jpg]]
->'''Played By:''' Alysia Reiner

The prison administrator and subordinate to the warden. Figueroa claims to be a women's advocate for the prisoners but is generally unconcerned with them and refuses to get involved in their problems.

* BiggerBad: All of the problems in the prison are due to 'budget cuts', however turns out the budget has been increasing over the last few years. We see this as we see her shiny new Mercedes. Bought on a government salary.
* TheChessmaster
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: of the rarer government variety. [[spoiler:Not only is she embezzling money from Litchfield's budget on herself to buy luxury cars, but she seems to be actively suppressing any information about the various scandals going on in the prison from leaking out and leading to a larger investigation, probably to avoid being audited.]]
** [[spoiler:She has Tricia's body cremated immediately after being discovered even though her death was from drug overdose rather than hanging.]]
** [[spoiler:Has Pornstache merely suspended with pay after being caught in the act having sex with an inmate.]]
** [[spoiler:Strongly tries to dissuade Bennett from filing a report after discovering drugs being smuggled into the prison.]]
* DeskJockey: Caputo accuses her of being this, and he's right. She turns up for one day to let the inmates know they can see her whenever they want, then promptly disappears. She doesn't give a damn about a single one of them and doesn't interact with them, as such she has some of the least amount of screen time of all the other staff members.
* IronLady: Fig is stone-cold, but she perceives herself as needing to be to handle the demands of her job.
* ManipulativeBitch
* SurroundedByIdiots: The demands of her job include dealing with the guards being repulsive and Caputo being inept as much as anything.

!!Joe Caputo
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/caputo_8384.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"This place fucking stinks."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Nick Sandow

The prison counselor. Caputo dislikes Healy, whom he feels is not tough enough on the inmates. Caputo is also adversarial toward Figueroa, whose job he wants. He has a crush on Susan Fischer.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Toward Susan, although it may just be lust, he does seem pretty upset when [[spoiler:he finds out she has a handsome boyfriend her own age.]]
* TheBully: Toward Healy, who he calls 'Samantha'. It's a case of KickTheSonOfABitch, though.
* ADateWithRosiePalms: In his first meeting with the attractive Piper, he does this after she leaves the room.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He refuses to let Healy get away with his homophobic vendetta and strongly dislikes Mendez (despite a spot of bonding over their moustaches).
* {{Jerkass}}: Caputo can be a bit of a prick from time to time.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: When push comes to shove, he tends to do the right thing or at least tries to.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: He bullies Healy and treats him like shit, but Healy is more morally bankrupt than Caputo.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He may be a hardass and sometimes a jerk, but he's far more reasonable than Healy or Mendez. Even the inmates consider him to be 'okay'.
* {{Slimeball}}: In his interactions with Susan. It's unintentional, though. He simply has trouble being charming.

!!Joel Luschek
->'''Played By:''' Matt Peters

The sarcastic, uncaring and barely competent young prison guard who runs the electrical shop. He displays blatant racism, and generally doesn't care what the women in the shop do as long as they leave him alone- his method of teaching repairs tends to consist of handing his inmates a manual for the broken appliance and giving them a few minutes to read before sending them off.

* TheAlcoholic: It's strongly implied that him coming into work drunk is a frequent occurrence.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's a lazy racist who treats other people like a genuine inconvenience.
* MrFixit: Although at no point is he ever actually shown to successfully fix ''anything''.
* PunchClockVillain: Luschek's main goal is to sit at the back of his shop and do as little work as possible with as little interaction with inmates as possible.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Makes no attempt to hide his racism and flaunts it in front of the inmates.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Main Characters]]
!!Piper Elizabeth Chapman
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chapman_piper_1630.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I have been starved out, felt up, teased, stalked, threatened, and called Taylor Swift."'']]
->'''Played By''': Taylor Schilling

->''"I'm scared that I'm not myself in here. And I'm scared that I am."''

Piper is sent to prison for carrying drug money for her past girlfriend, Alex, and navigates the stresses it creates in her life and with her fiancé Larry. While in prison, Piper endures it all while trying to understand and find her place in the hierarchy, and even runs into Alex. Piper started a line of artisanal soaps prior to leaving for prison.

* BiTheWay: She had a passionate relationship with Alex for many years, but gets engaged to Larry before going to prison. She states that she likes, 'attractive people'.
* BreakTheCutie: A sheltered, upper middle class white girl being thrown in a cage with psycho lesbians, murderers, and religious fanatics? It was an inevitability.
* CorruptTheCutie: Much of Piper's change in behavior to that of a typical inmate is a result of her own actions after entering prison.

* FishOutOfWater: To say that soap-selling Pablo Neruda- and Robert Frost-studying Piper doesn't fit in to the prison frame of mind easily is... an understatement.
* GranolaGirl: Attempted to be this out of prison, adopting different diets and setting up a soap company.
* GuileHero[=/=]ManipulativeBastard: By her own admission, Piper comes to realize that she is manipulative, but she uses her talents in the pursuit of saving her own ass masterfully, making back cream to smooth things over with Red, re-opening the track after accidentally leading to Watson getting sent to solitary, and all but coercing Fig to get her a marriage form.
* JerkAss: Pretty much, even as our point-of-view character her actions to her friends and fellow inmates remains crass throughout the entire series. She even spends some time commenting on how should feel worse than she does over actions, and fears what this makes her.
* NeverMyFault: Constantly tries to shirk the blame when she gets in trouble. Part of her CharacterDevelopment is her learning to accept responsibility for her actions.
* [[spoiler:NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: the very last scene in season 1 is of a desperate Piper repeatedly punching a downed Pennsatucky in the face after the latter assaulted her with a sharpened wooden cross with intent to kill.]]
* SanitySlippage: Implied; we still have no idea whether the chicken ''or'' the voice Piper heard in SHU are real.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Polly.
* YourCheatingHeart: Starts up a relationship with ex-girlfriend Alex whilst engaged to Larry.

!!Alex Vause
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vause_alexandra_7068.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Heroin was the best girlfriend I ever had."'']]
->'''Played By''': LauraPrepon

Alex, Piper's former girlfriend, is serving time in the same prison as Piper. Alex, with a mother that worked four jobs and a washed-up rock star for a father, grew up poor with girls in school bullying her and eventually wound up in the drug business.

* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Rarely shows sincere emotion to anyone beyond Piper, has black hair (with blue streaks and occasional Bettie Page bangs in flashbacks), and is described by Larry at their first meeting as 'tall'.
* {{Badass}}
* BettyAndVeronica: The "doing X on a beach in Cambodia with three strangers in drag" Veronica to Larry's Betty.
* DeadpanSnarker: Best summarized with her first non-flashback appearance, where she walks up to Piper after having not seen her for five years in the prison Piper more-or-less believes Alex is responsible for putting her in while Piper is having a breakdown and deadpans, "I'm guessing now's a bad time to say hi."
* DisappearedDad: Her father was a 'rock god' her mother romanticized an encounter with; when she met him as an adult, he mostly talked about how awkward it would have been if they'd accidentally had sex.
* EmbarrassingNickname: Growing up, she was called 'Pigsty' by the AlphaBitch and her posse.
* HiddenDepths: At least from the viewers' perspective. She's initially depicted as a manipulative sociopath who exploited Piper and wrecked her life, and it's a long time before we're given a good reason to think differently, despite how charming she is. "Fucksgiving" implies that she's secretly insecure and probably has abandonment issues, while "Tall Men with Feelings" shows that [[spoiler: Piper really did break her heart]].
* LipstickLesbian
* PrisonRape: She threatens Pennsatucky with this, although she doesn't mean it.
* RaceLift : In Piper Kerman's memoir, the drug runner was a black woman.
* RavenHairIvorySkin: Luschek describes her as 'the hot one' of her and Piper and the dark hair and pale skin combination does undeniably work for her.
* VagueAge : Laura Prepon was 33 when the show aired. Piper, according to the storyline, met Alex "ten years ago," when she was in her early twenties (although Piper was already a college graduate). When Polly meets Alex, she says the latter is thirty and has too much money for her age. Which would make her at least forty by the time of the show, and she's clearly not.

!!Sam Healy
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/healy_9405.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Lesbians can be really dangerous. It's the testosterone."'']]
->'''Played By''': Michael J. Harney

Healy is an older guard and supervisor who acts as prison counselor to Piper and several other inmates. Healy is outspoken against lesbians and has a strange vendetta against them, cautioning Piper at the beginning of the series not to be involved with them. He is initially presented as someone who, though rigid, avoids confrontation and so is referred to as "Samantha" by Caputo, who feels that Healy is not tough enough on the inmates. Healy generally appears weary and often tells the inmates what they want to hear so they will leave him alone. Early on, he appears particularly sympathetic towards Piper and even acts biased in her favor; however, he gradually begins to dislike her the more he hears rumors of her alleged lesbian activities.

* AffablyEvil: In the beginning of the season he genuinely comes off as a good-natured man who is looking out for Piper, who happens to have a weird fixation on lesbians. Though he quickly [[FauxAffablyEvil lost this mask]].
* BerserkButton: Homosexuality.
* EvilIsPetty: He [[spoiler:throws Piper in the SHU just for dancing with Alex, albeit in a suggestive fashion.]]
* HeteronormativeCrusader: He has a strong distaste for lesbians (and implicitly, homosexuality in general) and makes it something of a mission to steer inmates away from lesbianism.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: He seems fairly incompetent and kindly until ''"Fucksgiving"'' when he loses his top and manages to intimidate Pornstache, of all people.
** It's a little tough to determine exactly where Healy goes from being goofy and ignorant to dangerous and hateful, but it's clear that by the last scene in the series, where he [[spoiler:ignores Chapman's cries for help and leaves her to a fight with Pennsatucky that he ''knows'' will likely be fatal]], he's definitely crossed the MoralEventHorizon.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: He's quite openly homophobic, even other staff members in the prison call him out and tell him to see a therapist about this.
* VillainousCrush: Piper thinks he has this for her, and she may be right but his actions could be interpreted in other ways.
* {{Yandere}}: Fixates on Piper to the point of [[spoiler:sending her to solitary for ''dancing'' with another girl]] in a perfect storm of his obsession with her and his broader 'lesbian witch-hunt issues'.

!!Miss Claudette Pelage
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pelage_claudette_9972.png]]
->'''Played By''': Michelle Hurst

Piper's cubemate, a woman who is very strict and feared at the prison. She treats Piper roughly when they are first assigned to live together due to her obsession with cleanliness and dislike of the messy situations Piper brings with her, but softens to her over time. Miss Claudette was [[spoiler:inducted into forced child labor and sent to the United States to pay off a familial debt. She later ran her own illegal child labor cleaning service. She murdered a customer who beat and abused one of her cleaning girls, which is the basis for the rumor amongst the prisoners that she is in for murder.]]

* {{Badass}}: She's well-respected and feared by other inmates.
* ADayInTheLimelight: "Imaginary Enemies"

** JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* MamaBear: As shown in "Imaginary Enemies," [[spoiler:her crime was the murder of a man who had abused one of the girls under her care.]]
* [[spoiler:PutOnABusToHell: When her appeal failed, she attacked a guard in a fit of rage and despair. Attacking a guard is an instant transfer to maximum security - and you never get out.]]

!!Galina 'Red' Reznikov
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reznikov_galina_3801.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"There are rules in this place."'']]
->'''Played By''': Kate Mulgrew

->''"Those Spanish probably won't even eat it, just cut her throat and drink her blood, or something else superstitious. All I wanted was to eat the chicken that is smarter than other chickens and to absorb its power. And make a nice Kiev."''

Red runs the prison's kitchen and is the behind-the-scenes leader of the prison's Caucasian population. She and her husband ran a restaurant and got involved with the Russian mob. Red drew the ire of the mob bosses by punching one of their wives in the chest (rupturing a breast implant) but later impressed the same boss by offering sound advice that allowed her to swiftly climb the ranks of the organization. Red is feared and respected by most of the prisoners, has a lot of pull with Healy, and is considered the de facto leader of the white inmates at the prison.

* ActorAllusion: In one episode, one of the inmates complains that she's not Red's Spock. Mulgrew was a captain in the Star Trek franchise. A promotional poster for the show says "Red runs a tight [[CoolStarship ship]]."
* {{Badass}}
* TheBaroness: Rosa Klebb edition, as the sexless Russian powerhouse of the jail's kitchen - reconstructed prior to her incarceration, where she fails to make the connections with the Mafiya wives, but impresses the men with her cunning.
* ADayInTheLimelight: "Tit Punch".
* DeathGlare: Known to have a look that 'makes [people]'s ass leak'.
* TheDreaded
* HuskyRusskie
* [[spoiler:HoistByHisOwnPetard]]
* [[spoiler:HumiliationConga: Has her status as head of kitchen revoked after Pornstache leaks her smuggling operation to the prison administrators. Made worse when the food under Gloria, the new Latina head of kitchen, turns out to be delicious. Red attempts to sabotage the kitchen operation in her absence but ends up accidentally burning Gina and losing Norma's trust. Finally loses her food privileges in the same way as she subjected Chapman at the beginning of the series.]]
* HypocriticalHumour: Twice in one piece of dialogue. Firstly she tells Piper not to be racist, and instantly says all black inmates are on heroin. Then she says that all Spanish are crazy and superstitious before stating that she wants to eat the smartest chicken to absorb its power.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She helps junkies beat their addiction, and [[spoiler:is distraught at the death of Tricia.]]
* MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: She's known as 'Red' to both staff and inmates.
* ParentalSubstitute: For Nicky, who calls her "Mama", "Mommy" and when Piper admits confusion, flat-out says she sees Red as "a mother figure", as she's estranged from her own mother.
* TeamMom: A very stern example, but Red serves as a distinctly maternal figure who straightens out and regulates the behavior of several girls by taking them under her wing.

!!Larry Bloom
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bloom_larry_8369.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Jason Biggs

A freelance writer trying to get established, Larry is blindsided at the beginning of the series when his fiancée (then girlfriend) Piper reveals to him her former life as a lesbian who smuggled cash for the drug cartel. Larry is initially very supportive of Piper and gets engaged to her before she goes inside. As the series progresses he begins to cool toward her, becoming upset when he learns that Piper's former lover is in the same prison and she didn't tell him about it.

* ActorAllusion: He refers to a '[[AmericanPie webcam horror and a penis-shaving incident]]' in his past.
* BettyAndVeronica: The 'marriage and kids and normalcy' Betty to Alex's Veronica.

* [[spoiler:DisposableFiance]]: During the first season.
* InsecureLoveInterest: He doesn't think very highly of himself.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Like Polly, he was understandable at first in realizing that his problems don't stop mattering just because he's not the one in prison. He gets more like this as time goes on and he realizes that he can benefit from Piper's struggles.
* JerkAss: Pretty early on starts to break little promises he made to Piper, such as not watching MadMen without her. Though he takes a firm step into this direction once he started writing articles and radio interviews about Piper's experience without her consent or awareness, profiting off of her own misery.
* JerkassHasAPoint: He knows Piper has it worse than him, but he's aware that he doesn't live in a vacuum in Piper's absence. He confesses that he feels lonely and frustrated without her, needing just as much of their missed affection as she does and that he shouldn't be considered an asshole for having issues just because he's not the one in prison. He also calls Piper out [[spoiler:for cheating on him while in prison.]]
* NiceGuy: Drops everything to help Piper when they first meet after she'd been bit by a dog. In the earliest episodes, it's clear how much he loves his girlfriend.
* NiceJewishBoy: At first but then the nice starts to slip when his relationship with Piper becomes more strained.
* NotSoAboveItAll
* PlayingAgainstType: For Jason Biggs, enjoying one of his more high-profile roles that isn't a dorky teenager.
* [[spoiler:RomanticRunnerUp]]

!!Tiffany "Pennsatucky" Doggett
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/doggett_tiffany_3836.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I'm just a simple woman doin' the work of the Lord."'']]
->'''Played By''': Taryn Manning

A prisoner who goes around preaching about God and healing others. Works with Alex in the laundry room. Often causes problems for Alex and Piper. Pennsatucky was sent to prison after a nurse in the abortion clinic she frequented made a snide comment on how many abortions Pennsatucky had had, and Pennsatucky shot her for "disrespectin'". She converted to Christianity after a Christian law firm earned her less time in prison, believing "God had found her".

* AsTheGoodBookSays: She frequently justifies herself with (often incorrect or out of context) quotes from the Bible.
* BecomingTheMask: Prior to prison (prior even to her trial), Tiffany was a nihilistic meth-head on her fifth abortion who murdered a nurse solely for 'disrespecting her', and was misinterpreted by pro-lifers as one of their own. She quickly bought into her own press and became a legitimate holy warrior.
* [[spoiler:BigBad: Of the first season. She's the most openly antagonistic toward Piper.]]
* ChurchgoingVillain
* CorruptHick
* CrisisOfFaith: A brief one [[spoiler:after being in the psych ward.]]
* DoesNotUnderstandSarcasm
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: While not her first moment on screen, her first episode with extended screen time starts off with her being forced to carry her own cross out of the chapel.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Her fellow prisoners joke she should get new teeth for Christmas. [[spoiler: Gets her old ones punched out by Piper in the season 1 finale.]]
* FromNobodyToNightmare
* TheFundamentalist
* HeteronormativeCrusader: Since being "born again". A lot of her dislike for Alex and Piper stems from this.
* HolierThanThou
* JeanneDArchetype: Subverted, but she sees herself this way. One of the inmates even calls her out for this.
* ManipulativeBitch
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: In early appearances she seems to just be an idiotic fuck-up, and she is... but that doesn't mean she isn't extremely dangerous, as Piper learns.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Aside from being homophobic, she's also fairly racist.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Downplayed and for a certain value of 'good'; Pennsatucky regularly gets fan-mail and had a throng of pro-life extremists at her trial because she murdered an abortion clinic doctor (though not for the reasons they think she did). Note that her admirers are hardly pillars of society.

!!Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jefferson_tasha_1816.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean place."'']]
->'''Played By''': Danielle Brooks

->''"So there I am, topless, sitting in this bulldozer in like a construction site. BBQ sauce all over my titties, and I’m like,“What the fuck… again?"''

An inmate who is somewhat vocal and sassy, and works as the prison librarian. Was a ward of the state until she was 16.

* BigFun
* BlackAndNerdy: She works i the prison's library (which she can navigate perfectly) and is very protective of Harry Potter books. It's also implied that she read Ulysses (or tried to, at least).
* BurgerFool : In a flashback season 2, we see she held a fast food job in the past.

* HiddenDepths: She's a lot smarter than her attitude makes her appear.
** Several characters note she's become an informal legal expert and counsel to the other prisoners. [[spoiler:Subverted when she's paroled, as she has no idea how to use these valuable skills on the outside.]]
* SadClown: Miss Claudette points out that she uses humor to make everyone miss how concerned she is about life outside of prison.
* [[ThoseTwoGuys Those Two Girls]]: Never far away from Poussey.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Poussey.

!!Susanna "Crazy Eyes" Warren
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/warren_susanna_2227.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"[[MakesSenseInContext I threw my pie for you!]]"'']]
->'''Played By''': Uzo Aduba

An African-American inmate who helps out Piper in the second episode but then expects reciprocation in ways that make Piper uncomfortable.

* HairTriggerTemper
* HappilyAdopted: Is shown having a conversation with her two Caucasian parents on Thanksgiving, where her parents are shown to be a little overbearing, but are nonetheless shockingly more normal than one might expect.
* HiddenDepths: Apparently has a deep appreciation of Shakespeare. As well as having been shown writing poetry early on. And likely some ballet classes, shown in her (PlayedForLaughs) talent show audition.
** The episode "Tall Men with Feelings" deconstructs her rather comedic role in the show so far, as she talks about how horrible the conditions in the psych ward are, how angry she gets about her own lack of self control, and how much it confuses and hurts her that people call her "Crazy Eyes".
** [[spoiler:It's heavily implied that Crazy Eyes is legitimately insane, and should not be in prison at all.]]
** Her conversation with Piper in the E Block Bathroom.
--> That's called "coping".
* LargeHam
* SuddenlyShouting
* StalkerWithACrush
* {{Yandere}}: A pretty unhinged case, obsessing with Piper to the point of following her everywhere and acting cruelly when spurned.
* [[ManChild Woman Child]]: At first she borders on the [[PsychopathicManchild psychopathic version]], but once the audience gets to know her better it's clear this isn't the case.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Black Inmates]]
!!Sophia Burset
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/burset_sophia_2588.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I've given five years, eighty thousand dollars and my freedom for this."'']]
->'''Played By''': Laverne Cox

A transgender firefighter who had a wife and child before transitioning. She cuts hair in the prison and later, strikes up a friendship with Sister Ingalls.

* ADayInTheLimelight: "Lesbian Request Denied"
* DeadpanSnarker
* {{Determinator}}: Don't get between her and her hormones because anything that stops her from being herself will not stand.
* LipstickLesbian: Is still married to her wife, and while her attraction to Sophia might by slipping away, it's clear that they still truly care for each other.
* MetaCasting: Sophia is possibly the highest-profile transgender character presented in the media who's actually portrayed by a transgender actress.
* OddFriendship: Though Sophia initially sidled up to Sister Ingalls to try and get her post-menopausal estrogen supplements, the two became legitimate friends.
* SitcomArchnemesis: The unseen Danita is Sophia's only competition (for a certain value of competition) in hair care and she warns everyone about her and her inability to do hair without 'burning the shit out of your scalp'.
* TimeShiftedActor: Sophia is played by the actress' brother in the character's pre-op flashbacks.
* {{Transsexual}}
* TwoferTokenMinority: Three, actually; she's a black transgender bisexual.

!!Janae Watson
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/watson_janae_7910.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Vicky Jeudy

A young inmate who was a track and field star at her high school. Arrested for robbing a convenience store for alcohol.

* ADayInTheLimelight: "Blood Donut"
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Part of why she ended up in prison.
* BrutalHonesty: Has no qualms about speaking her mind, which unfortunately often gets her into trouble.
* NoGuyWantsToBeChased: All her life, men seem to have been distant from her because she was simply too fast and too much better than them. The reason she was arrested was only because she finally tried to slow herself down for a guy.
* OddFriendship: With Yoga Jones.

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!!Poussey Washington
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/poussey_4374.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"My name is Poussey. Accent à droite, bitch."'']]
->'''Played By''': Samira Wiley

A prison inmate. She has been in prison for two years at the start of the series and has four years left. Her mother died while she was in prison. She is a good-natured jokester and is often seen with her best friend, "Taystee", whom she helps out in the library.

* BaldWoman
* DeadpanSnarker
* [[ThoseTwoGuys Those Two Girls]]: With Taystee, then later, with Black Cindy.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Taystee, though the two really are close.
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[[folder:Hispanic Inmates]]
!!Aleida Diaz
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/diaz_aleida_9149.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Elizabeth Rodriguez

Daya's incarcerated mother. She was involved with a man who had her cutting and bagging drugs in her kitchen. In flashbacks, it is shown that she had little concern for her children and was obsessed with her boyfriend. She says during a visitation that she took a fall for him and is upset that he won't visit her.

* AbusiveParent: She held a ''meth lab'' in her children's home, ignores (and verbally abuses) her children, and tells her oldest daughter it's basically ''her'' responsibility to take care of four other kids.
* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother : Elizabeth Rodriguez was 33 at the time the show aired. (It's still plausible the character became pregnant as a young teen only 14 or 15).
* EvilMatriarch
* HairTriggerTemper
* HotBlooded
* ItsAllAboutMe: Ordered her kids to travel 3 hours on a bus to see her in prison just to ask if her boyfriend's cheating.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain
* SingleMomStripper: One scene implies she was possibly a prostitute. It's not really played for sympathy, though.

!!Dayanara "Daya" Diaz
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/diaz_daya_3598.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Dascha Polanco

Aleida's daughter who was responsible for looking after her sisters and brothers before and after her mother was incarcerated. Was incarcerated something after her mother. Didn't grow up speaking Spanish which initially makes her scorned by the other Hispanics.

* AMatchMadeInStockholm: Subverted in that her relationship with Bennett is consensual (to the extent it can be) and not coercive.
* DatingCatwoman: Well, fucking a guard in sheds and broom closets, anyway.
* HoneyTrap: Turns herself into one for Pornstache, [[spoiler:so Bennett won't get in trouble for knocking up an inmate]].
* {{Otaku}}: Pretty much unheard of for a live action American drama. She is a fan of anime, and likes to draw in an {{Animesque}} style.
* PromotedToParent
* [[WellDoneSonGuy Well Done Daughter Girl]]: She and Aleida ''really'' don't get along at first, but [[spoiler:Daya's pregnancy brings them closer together]]. Daya mostly wants Aleida to act like a mother instead of the selfish woman she's been acting like.

!! Maria Ruiz
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/preg_2898.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Jessica Pimentil

Inmate who gives birth in the first season.

* BreakTheCutie: Gives birth, but (this being prison), she has her child taken away from her.
** It's implied the child died, with Pensatucky saying she believes all dead babies get to heaven.
* RecurringExtra
* ScareEmStraight: Tells Daya that her relationship with her mother would scare teenagers into celibacy.

!!Gloria Mendoza
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mendoza_gloria_926.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Selenis Leyva

Inmate from the Hispanic clique, who organizes some of the games and activities. Runs the kitchen in later episodes.

* {{Badass}}: Which she credits to having raised several children.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: In the kitchen. Even after she catches Gina and Norma trying to sabotage things, she keeps them because they are familiar with the area and reminds them that Red lost her domain on her own; they don't need to go down with her.
* SupremeChef: Much to the horror of Red and her crew, the food under her reign is ''delicious''.

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!!Maritza Ramos
->'''Played By''': Diane Guerrero

->''"If you want more pizza, vote for Maritza."''

One of the Hispanic inmates. She introduces herself as Aleida's daughter and gets along well with her, which puts her at odds with Daya. She later runs for a spot on the Women's Advisory Council.

* SpicyLatina: Of all of the Hispanic characters, Maritza really plays this trope up the most.
* ThoseTwoGuys: She is rarely seen without Flaca.

!!Marisol "Flaca" Gonzales
->'''Played By''': Jackie Cruz

->''"''How Soon is Now'' is, like, an eighties anthem."''

Another of the Hispanic inmates, easily recognized by her thick makeup. She is rarely seen without her friend Maritza.

* DeadpanSnarker
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname
* PerkyGoth
* ThoseTwoGuys

[[folder:White Inmates]]
!!Nicole 'Nicky' Nichols
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nichols_nicole_5729.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"It's like the Hamptons, only fuckin' horrible."'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/NatashaLyonne

A former drug addict, now in Red's group in the prison. Nicky has a loud mouth and is Red's most trusted girl. Red helps Nicky get clean when she lands in prison, and Nicky looks to her as a mother figure. [[spoiler:Her real mother lived in a separate house and Nicky was raised by a nanny. Nicky was involved in a sexual relationship with Morello until Morello broke it off. Nicky has a scar on her chest from having heart surgery as a complication of a bacterial infection in her heart.]]

* DeadpanSnarker
* TheGadfly: Frequently trolls Piper and Alex (mostly Piper, as she is more receptive to being baited) to gain information on their past.
--> '''Nicky:''' She said you were a squirter.
--> '''Piper:''' I don't - that's - once! It happened ''once!'' It took us both by surprise!
--> '''Nicky:''' Wow! I was kidding, but good to know!
* LipstickLesbian
* MessyHair
* MetaCasting: The scar on her chest? It's real. Natasha Lyonne really ''did'' have heart surgery a few years back, and it really ''was'' from a bacterial infection resulting from use of a dirty needle.
* MommyIssues: She hates her mother for choosing to live in a different home as she was growing up because her new husband didn't like kids. Nicky was subsequently raised by a nanny.
* ParentalSubstitute: Red is hers, as she tells Piper when Piper is genuinely confused why Nicky calls Red "Mommy".
* PrincessInRags: Apparently came from a wealthy family and used to travel the world. Alex comments that she would be exactly the kind of person she'd target.
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!!Anita De Marco
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/12343525665465467613523_6815.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Lin Tucci

* DeadpanSnarker
* TheMentor
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!!Carrie "Big Boo" Black
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/boobobobobobobobobo_1222.png]]
->'''Played By''': Lea DeLaria

A lesbian inmate who has had several "wives" during her incarceration. She cares for a service dog named "Little Boo."

* {{Badass}}
* ButchLesbian
* DeadpanSnarker: Of a legendary kind.
* EverythingsPreciousWithPuppies: Little Boo. Whose arrival marked a softening in Big Boo's attitude.
* IfICantHaveYou[=/=]MurderTheHypotenuse: [[spoiler:Subverted.]] After lots of talk about how Boo messed with one of her girlfriends on their last day to keep her in and a significant shot of Boo [[spoiler:holding the missing screwdriver]] with a wicked gleam in her eyes on the day Mercy is released, one of the last shots of the episode is Boo... [[spoiler:''masturbating'' with the screwdriver]].

* TattooedCrook

!!Lorna Morello
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/morello_lorna_8737.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"We look out for our own."'']]
->'''Played By''': Yael Stone

A Brooklyn-Italian inmate planning her wedding for her release. Morello is the first inmate that Piper talks to, and she helps Piper acclimate in her first few days. [[spoiler:She is involved in a lesbian relationship with Nichols at the beginning of the show but breaks it off after feeling that she was cheating on her fiancè.]]

* BiTheWay[=/=]SituationalSexuality
* TheDitz: There are in fact only two Boras in the locale Bora Bora, but Morello is not the sharpest screwdriver on the wall.
* WhiteCollarCrime: It's heavily implied that the reason Morello is in jail is because she was a scammer.
* LargeHam: During the Nativity Play, as Mary.
* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Despite being one of the most genuinely sweet people in the prison, she is pretty casually racist and only seems to interact with other white inmates.
* SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl: Invoked; Morello's lipstick and hairstyle call to mind the Fifties, but (unfortunately) so do her attitudes towards other races (thanks to WestSideStory).
* WideEyedIdealist: Or the closest she can get in prison, believing [[spoiler:her fiance will stick around despite him having only visited her once.]]
* YourCheatingHeart

!!Norma Romano
->'''Played By''': Annie Golden

An inmate who's slightly more timid than her peers. Rarely speaks. Part of Red's crew.

* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:Uses her voice for the first time in the season 1 finale, displaying a beautiful singing voice and surprising everyone during the Christmas pageant.]]
* TheVoiceless: Never speaks, or uses sign language, or even tries to use body gestures. She only communicates through writing.

!!Tricia Miller
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/miller_tricia_4657.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Madeline Brewer

A prison inmate and drug addict who grew up on the streets. Miller is a drug addict and lesbian who sports a tattoo on her throat. She gets her drugs from guard Mendez, who threatens her after being late with a delivery. [[spoiler:Miller dies of an overdose after being locked in a closet with drugs by Mendez. The prison covers up her death as a suicide.]]

* AbusiveParents: She makes reference to her ''rapist stepdad''.
* ButtMonkey: She's had a terrible life. [[spoiler:And it ends in a terrible way.]]
* DumbBlonde: Tricia is a sweet girl, but is cursed by her lack of education as much as an innate lack of intelligence.
* NiceGirl: One of the most sincere and genuinely nice inmates of the cast. Even girls who didn't regularly interact with her comment on her "good vibe."
* LipstickLesbian
* ListOfTransgressions: Keeps a notebook with a list of everything she's ever stolen, so she can eventually make amends.
* [[spoiler:SacrificialLamb]]
* [[spoiler:TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Discussed by her former clique.]]

!!"Yoga" Jones
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yogajones_6100.png]]
->'''Played By''': Constance Shulman

An inmate who teaches yoga. [[spoiler:She once was a marijuana farmer who accidentally shot and killed a child, thinking he was a deer eating her crop.]] Jones displays extreme calm in all of her appearances, [[spoiler:until being taunted by Watson for killing a child, causing Jones to slap Watson in the face. Jones later confides in Watson about the child she killed, and they are able to become friends.]]

* TheAtoner: For her crime.
* BewareTheNiceOnes
* DarkSecret: The reason for her imprisonment, more so than anyone else's. [[spoiler:She accidentally shot an eight-year-old, thinking he was one of the deer that had been eating her marijuana supply]].
* DisproportionateRetribution: Twice over. Given the context for her backstory, she's almost certainly in jail for possession with intent to distribute, rather than [[spoiler:the involuntary manslaughter of an eight year old boy she tortures herself over.]] This means she's serving harder time due to the War on Drugs than she otherwise would, but doesn't care because she feels she deserves it.
* TheHeart
* HeyItsThatVoice: [[{{Doug}} Patti Mayonnaise]] apparently took a dark turn later in life.
* {{Nice G|uy}}irl
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!!Sister Ingalls
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sisterengalls_1058.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Beth Fowler

An inmate who was a nun. Initially believed to be a murderer but was arrested for peaceful demonstration. Friends with Sophia.

* CoolOldLady: Very good at offering helpful insight to Sophia and can deadpan deflect Pennsatucky's attempts at claiming 'Third Amendment rights' by quoting the actual Third Amendment from memory.
* GoodShepherd: Even not compared to Pennsatucky, she's possibly the kindest and most level-headed character (let alone Christian) on the show.
* NunTooHoly: Frequently invoked by others, but subverted: people try to demonize her for various reasons by claiming she murdered someone.
* OddFriendship: Though Sophia initially saddled up to her to try and get her post-menopausal estrogen supplements, the two became legitimate friends.

!!Leanne Taylor
->'''Played By''': Emma Myles

* DumbBlonde
* TheDragon: For Pennsatucky.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain
* VillainousFriendship: With Pennsatucky, who she admires and trails after.

[[folder:Guards]]
!!George "Pornstache" Mendez
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mendez_george_2335.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"It doesn't matter what you do. It's the doin' that makes you dirty."'']]
->'''Played By''': Pablo Schreiber

A corrupt and seemingly psychopathic prison guard who frequently abuses his authority; his personality can be both laughably exaggerated as well as frightening. Mendez uses his position as a guard to smuggle drugs and contraband into the prison.

* AccidentalPun: Upon being asked whether homosexuals have appropriated mustaches as a gay symbol, Pornstache denies this, insisting that they're "for fucking men!"
* TheAggressiveDrugDealer: He's not ready to just let his little side business dry up.
-->''"The borrower is slave to the lender. That's from proverbs, right there. Saw it on a bumper sticker."''
* BeautyInversion: Without the spiky hair and creepy black moustache, clean-shaven Pablo Schreiber in reality looks like he could make the cover for GQ magazine; fans of Mendez are repeatedly amazed at how little Schreiber resembles his on-screen character in real life.
* [[DirtyCop Dirty Guard]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Given how eagerly he abuses his power and authority, it says a lot when even ''he'' believes that [[spoiler:Healy throwing Piper into the SHU [[DisproportionateRetribution for dancing with Alex in a somewhat provocative manner]]]] was uncalled for.
* EvilIsPetty
* FauxAffablyEvil
* {{Jerkass}}
* KickTheSonOfABitch: His dressing-down of the judgmental, God-bothering Pennsatucky.
* LargeHam: He tears apart Piper and Miss Claudette's cube while humming 'In the Hall of the Mountain King'.
* {{Pornstache}}: His namesake.
* VillainousCrush: [[spoiler:On Daya.]]

!!John Bennett
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bennett_john_7544.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Matt [=McGorry=]

A correctional officer who enters into a secret relationship with Daya.

* ArtificialLimbs: Has a prosthetic leg below his left knee.
* JerkassFacade: Like Susan below, Bennett acts rather abrasively towards inmates as part of his job. However, his interactions with Daya are genuinely sweet.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: Downplayed, but he expressed incredulous horror at Pornstache even considering having sex with Sophia (and the issue was very pointedly not with any of the consent or losing his job issues Bennett later runs into in his own relationship with Daya, if you know what I mean).
* PhonyVeteran: Zig-zagged. He did serve in Afghanistan, [[spoiler: but his prosthetic leg is not a war wound. He lost it in a dirty hot tub in Orlando]].
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!!Susan Fischer
->'''Played By''': Lauren Lapkus

A rookie prison guard, hired onto the prison staff during Piper's time at Litchfield. Fischer used to bag groceries at the store where Piper and Larry shopped, and recalls how Piper used to be a difficult customer. However she is friendly toward Piper, informing her that she does not think any less of her for being in prison, since the only difference between them is that Fischer didn't get caught making mistakes. Piper appreciates her kind words and convinces her to reopen the prison track. She displays a perpetually naïve and cheerful demeanor, which endears some (especially Caputo) and irritates others. She struggles to come across as authoritative and strict, and her attempts to appear tough do not appear to intimidate any of the inmates at the slightest, who on occasion, even admonish Susan in return.

* JerkassFacade: Pushed into dehumanizing the inmates by Caputo due to her kindness towards them. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, she picked the wrong day to play rough with Miss Claudette]].
* NaiveNewcomer
* [[NiceGuy Nice Girl]]: She's a genuinely sweet young woman.
* OnlySaneWoman
* ShrinkingViolet

!!Wanda Bell
->'''Played By''': Catherine Curtin

A prison guard, the first person Piper meets when she surrenders to the prison. Bell is gruff and displays a general apathy to others.

* DeadpanSnarker
* {{Jerkass}}: She's pretty jaded and grumpy, but isn't openly sadistic like Mendez.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure

!!S. O'Neil
[[quoteright:264:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/srl5grq_1196.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Joel Marsh Garland

An overweight prison guard in a relationship with Wanda Bell. He is frequently shown eating despite claiming to be on different diets.

* RunningGag: He's always on some kind of new diet plan.
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[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other Prison Staff]]
!!Natalie Figueroa
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fig_599.jpg]]
->'''Played By:''' Alysia Reiner

The prison administrator and subordinate to the warden. Figueroa claims to be a women's advocate for the prisoners but is generally unconcerned with them and refuses to get involved in their problems.

* BiggerBad: All of the problems in the prison are due to 'budget cuts', however turns out the budget has been increasing over the last few years. We see this as we see her shiny new Mercedes. Bought on a government salary.
* TheChessmaster
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: of the rarer government variety. [[spoiler:Not only is she embezzling money from Litchfield's budget on herself to buy luxury cars, but she seems to be actively suppressing any information about the various scandals going on in the prison from leaking out and leading to a larger investigation, probably to avoid being audited.]]
** [[spoiler:She has Tricia's body cremated immediately after being discovered even though her death was from drug overdose rather than hanging.]]
** [[spoiler:Has Pornstache merely suspended with pay after being caught in the act having sex with an inmate.]]
** [[spoiler:Strongly tries to dissuade Bennett from filing a report after discovering drugs being smuggled into the prison.]]
* DeskJockey: Caputo accuses her of being this, and he's right. She turns up for one day to let the inmates know they can see her whenever they want, then promptly disappears. She doesn't give a damn about a single one of them and doesn't interact with them, as such she has some of the least amount of screen time of all the other staff members.
* IronLady: Fig is stone-cold, but she perceives herself as needing to be to handle the demands of her job.
* ManipulativeBitch
* SurroundedByIdiots: The demands of her job include dealing with the guards being repulsive and Caputo being inept as much as anything.

!!Joe Caputo
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/caputo_8384.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"This place fucking stinks."'']]
->'''Played By:''' Nick Sandow

The prison counselor. Caputo dislikes Healy, whom he feels is not tough enough on the inmates. Caputo is also adversarial toward Figueroa, whose job he wants. He has a crush on Susan Fischer.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Toward Susan, although it may just be lust, he does seem pretty upset when [[spoiler:he finds out she has a handsome boyfriend her own age.]]
* TheBully: Toward Healy, who he calls 'Samantha'. It's a case of KickTheSonOfABitch, though.
* ADateWithRosiePalms: In his first meeting with the attractive Piper, he does this after she leaves the room.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He refuses to let Healy get away with his homophobic vendetta and strongly dislikes Mendez (despite a spot of bonding over their moustaches).
* {{Jerkass}}: Caputo can be a bit of a prick from time to time.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: When push comes to shove, he tends to do the right thing or at least tries to.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: He bullies Healy and treats him like shit, but Healy is more morally bankrupt than Caputo.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He may be a hardass and sometimes a jerk, but he's far more reasonable than Healy or Mendez. Even the inmates consider him to be 'okay'.
* {{Slimeball}}: In his interactions with Susan. It's unintentional, though. He simply has trouble being charming.

!!Joel Luschek
->'''Played By:''' Matt Peters

The sarcastic, uncaring and barely competent young prison guard who runs the electrical shop. He displays blatant racism, and generally doesn't care what the women in the shop do as long as they leave him alone- his method of teaching repairs tends to consist of handing his inmates a manual for the broken appliance and giving them a few minutes to read before sending them off.

* TheAlcoholic: It's strongly implied that him coming into work drunk is a frequent occurrence.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's a lazy racist who treats other people like a genuine inconvenience.
* MrFixit: Although at no point is he ever actually shown to successfully fix ''anything''.
* PunchClockVillain: Luschek's main goal is to sit at the back of his shop and do as little work as possible with as little interaction with inmates as possible.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Makes no attempt to hide his racism and flaunts it in front of the inmates.
[[/folder]]

!!Piper Chapman

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Asks for new teeth for Christmas. [[spoiler: Gets her old ones punched out by Piper in the season 1 finale.]]

* BeautyInversion: Without the spiky hair and creepy black moustache, clean-shaven Pablo Schreiber in reality looks like he could make the cover for GQ magazine; fans of Mendez are repeatedly amazed at how little Schreiber resembles is on-screen character in real life.

* JerkassHasAPoint: He knows Piper has it worse than him, but he's aware that he doesn't live in a vacuum in Piper's absent and he confesses that he feels lonely and frustrated without her, needing just as much of their missed affection as she does and that he shouldn't be considered an asshole for having issues just because he's not the one in prison. He also calls Piper out [[spoiler:for cheating on him while in prison.]]
* NiceGuy: Drops everything to help Piper when they first meet after she'd been bit by a dog.