Black-and-white stripes are the new orange;
similar change not expected in Oakland
County
Inmate at the Saginaw County Jail, wear the new black and white jumpsuits Friday, July 18,
2014 in Saginaw, Mich. The Saginaw County Sheriff's Department has purchased the striped
jumpsuits for some of the inmates at the jail. (AP Photo/The Saginaw News/MLive.com, Jeff
Schrier)
By Dave Phillips, The Oakland Press
Posted: 07/21/14, 12:35 PM EDT | Updated: 2 days ago
Inmates wearing a mix of orange and striped jumpsuits
are lodged in a cell at the Saginaw County Jail, Friday,
July 18, 2014 in Saginaw, Mich. The Saginaw County
Sheriff's Department has purchased new jumpsuits,
with black and white stripes, for some of the inmates at
the jail. (AP Photo/The Saginaw News/MLive.com,
Jeff Schrier)
A popular television show has prompted a change in
inmate uniforms in Saginaw County, but don’t expect a
similar change in Oakland County in the near future.
Saginaw County Sheriff William Federspiel tells The Saginaw News that his inmates will no
longer wear the standard all-orange jumpsuits, but will now be outfitted in uniforms with blackand-white stripes. The orange jumpsuits are increasingly viewed as fashionable, especially
because they’re seen on popular TV shows such as the Netflix smash hit “Orange Is the New
Black,” Federspiel said.
Federspiel says “some people think it’s cool to look like an inmate of the Saginaw County Jail ...
wearing all orange jumpsuits out at the mall or in public.” He said inmates sometimes work in
public, and he doesn’t want there to be any confusion.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said his office has not seen an issue that would
require a change in the uniforms.
Inmates wear color-coded uniforms at the Oakland County Jail, meaning a drastic change in style
would be difficult.
“We color-code our inmates based on (safety) classification,” Bouchard said, adding that
maximum-security inmates wear orange.
“Hopefully (deputies) can glance at them and know, based on the color of the inmate’s uniform,
their classification and potential danger status. Having (only) uniforms that are black and white
would not be helpful to our system as it relates to the safety and better monitoring of inmate
movements.”
Bouchard said he understands why Federspiel decided to make the move.
“Should we, at some point, find that people are actually wearing these orange jumpsuits as a
fashion statement, we may reconsider the use of orange ... but we haven’t seen that to be a
problem yet,” he said.
“If (Federspiel has) seen it, I get it, because obviously you wouldn’t want someone to be seen (in
public) in that and not to be calling 911. The point is, if you see an inmate jumpsuit outside and
unaccompanied by deputies, it’s time to call 911.
Inmates at Oakland County Jail wear “a spectrum of different colors,” Bouchard said.
Federspiel said the jumpsuits, which last for about two to three years, cost $11.73 each.
—The Associated Press contributed to this report.