Saginaw County Jail Bans Orange Jumpsuits Because They’re Too ‘Cool’

Saginaw County has a problem.

According to Sheriff William Federspiel, the classic orange jumpsuits have to go for local prisoners. Why? They've become "cool" and people are starting to copy the look in real life. 

"It's because as you see shows on television, like 'Orange Is The New Black,' some people think it's cool to look like an inmate of the Saginaw County Jail with wearing all-orange jumpsuits out at the mall or in public," Federspiel told MLive.

"It's a concern because we do have our inmates out sometimes doing work in the public, and I don't want anyone to confuse them or have them walk away." Federspiel is making the move back to the black and white stripped outfits. "We decided that the black-and-white stripes would be the best way to go because it signifies 'jail inmate,' and I don't see people out there wanting to wear black-and-white stripes."

He went on to explain how this has become his problem. "When the lines get blurred between the culture outside the jail and the culture within the jail," he says. "I have to do something to redefine those boundaries, because they've been blurred far too often in public culture."

For the record, the inmates are not a fan of the change, but Federspiel doesn't care. "They don't like it. They've been very verbal," he says. "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.'"

Horizontal stripes are hard to pull off.

The real issue here is the crazy people who think it's cool to look like inmates. They realize "Orange Is the New Black" is a TV show, right?