<P> The series begins revolving around Piper Chapman ( Taylor Schilling ) , a woman in her 30s living in New York City who is sentenced to 15 months in Litchfield Penitentiary , a minimum - security women 's federal prison ( initially operated by the `` Federal Department of Corrections '' . This is a fictional version of the Federal Bureau of Prisons . In later seasons , it was acquired by the Management & Correction Corporation ( MCC ) , a private prison company ) in upstate New York . Chapman was convicted of transporting a suitcase full of drug money for her girlfriend Alex Vause ( Laura Prepon ) , an international drug smuggler . The offense had occurred 10 years prior to the start of the series and in that time Piper had moved on to a quiet , law - abiding life among New York 's upper middle class . Her sudden and unexpected indictment disrupts her relationships with her fiancé , family and friends . In prison , Chapman is reunited with Vause ( who named Chapman in her trial , resulting in Chapman 's arrest ) and they re-examine their relationship . Simultaneously , Chapman , along with the other inmates , attempt to grapple with prison 's numerous , inherent struggles . Episodes often feature flashbacks of significant events from various inmates ' and prison guards ' pasts . These flashbacks typically depict how the inmate came to be in prison or develop the character 's backstory . </P>
<P> The series begins revolving around Piper Chapman ( Taylor Schilling ) , a woman in her 30s living in New York City who is sentenced to 15 months in Litchfield Penitentiary , a minimum - security women 's federal prison ( initially operated by the `` Federal Department of Corrections '' . This is a fictional version of the Federal Bureau of Prisons . In later seasons , it was acquired by the Management & Correction Corporation ( MCC ) , a private prison company ) in upstate New York . Chapman was convicted of transporting a suitcase full of drug money for her girlfriend Alex Vause ( Laura Prepon ) , an international drug smuggler . The offense had occurred 10 years prior to the start of the series and in that time Piper had moved on to a quiet , law - abiding life among New York 's upper middle class . Her sudden and unexpected indictment disrupts her relationships with her fiancé , family and friends . In prison , Chapman is reunited with Vause ( who named Chapman in her trial , resulting in Chapman 's arrest ) and they re-examine their relationship . Simultaneously , Chapman , along with the other inmates , attempt to grapple with prison 's numerous , inherent struggles . Episodes often feature flashbacks of significant events from various inmates ' and prison guards ' pasts . These flashbacks typically depict how the inmate came to be in prison or develop the character 's backstory . </P>
where is orange is the new black based
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Litchfield Penitentiary , a minimum - security women 's federal prison
Litchfield Penitentiary , a minimum - security women 's federal prison