Orange Is the New Black? Michigan Sheriff Disagrees

Black and white is the new orange.

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Complex Original

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Netflix's hit series Orange Is the New Black has convinced a Michigan sheriff to change the uniforms within the Saginaw County Jail. According to the Detroit News, Sheriff William Federspiel has decided to ditch orange jumpsuits (like the ones worn by characters on the show) and provide Saginaw County inmates with vintage black-and-white ones instead. Federspiel believes that OITNB's recent popularity is inspiring citizens to wear the orange garbs in public, and it's becoming confusing. 

"Some people think it's cool to look like an inmate from the Saginaw County Jail...wearing all orange jumpsuits out at the mall or in public," he told the Detroit News. What isn't cool is being mistaken for an actual inmate, which Federspiel says can happen when prisoners are working in public. So, the sheriff is laying down the law and going with the retro uniforms, which last for about two to three years.

Federspiel told the Saginaw County News that the inmates aren't too pleased with the old-school outfits.  "They don't like it. They've been very verbal," he explained. "A lot of them have said, ''We don't like wearing black-and-white stripes,' and my response is, 'Too bad, don't come to jail.'"

[via The Detroit News]

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