I am not saying that there is anything wrong with janitorial or food service work, I am saying that there should not be an artificial programming ceiling. Being a prisoner doesn't mean you have limited capabilities, intellect, or desires.

Usually, the problem for most inmates isn't capability it is a lack of opportunity.

Wouldn't it be amazing if we started to provide inmates with real and satisfying alternatives? If people felt they had real and meaningful career training and opportunities, it could change their entire world.

This is partially why I hate the term "rehabilitation," it is almost always a preface for telling inmates and the formerly incarcerated that they should be happy with whatever limited chances they get (regardless of fit). Rehabilitation, in my opinion, really means "be happy with what you get because you don't deserve much."

This particularly bothers me because, in my humble opinion, we pay our debt to society when we complete our sentences. And if that isn't good enough, the best way to ensure the parole to prison pipeline ends is to help inmates find work that makes them feel they are doing something they love and in a job where they feel valuable upon release.

A close friend once suggested to me that, "prisons should be run like hospitals." What he meant was that in hospitals, they start preparing for your successful release and healthy reintegration the moment that you enter the facility (what a wonderful idea).

One last thought here, when Nicky says recommending work as a corrections officer to a prisoner is a bad idea...That actually isn't true. Prior to 1996 in Michigan, the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) hired formerly incarcerated people in prison administration and as correctional officers.

Despite zero incidents (at the time there were over 100 employees and 70 correctional officers who had been formerly incarcerated), the Michigan legislature decided to ban hiring former inmates in 1996. Luckily, the Legislature is considering revisiting this prohibition in the current term (Michigan House Bill 4065).

There is a strong argument that if State Governments want businesses to hire the formerly incarcerated State Governments should lead the way and bills like 4065 send an important signal.

3. "The Poster Girl for the Right To Life Movement"

Just a quick note here on prison dentistry.

Prison dentistry SUCKS.

You can order floss and way overpriced bad toothpaste from commissary as well as what passes as a toothbrush (it is tiny with an extremely small handle because it is easy to form toothbrushes into weapons).

You theoretically get one cleaning per year, but you are actually on a waiting list and might not reach the top in a year and if you are moved you go back to the bottom of the list at the new facility.

If a tooth goes bad, they will not replace it or do any restorative dentistry (beyond a filling). If you have a tooth problem, they will pull the tooth.

Of course, when serious health problems arise inmates do sometimes get taken for the best care (usually to avoid lawsuits). So, it is certainly possible that Doggett could have gotten the best of Healy (Michael Harney) but it is unlikely it would happen for dental care (unless this is one of those areas where Federal prisons are different than State prisons).

2. Two Storylines I Still Dislike

Yup, we are still stuck with Daya's pregnancy with the child of Officer Bennett (Matt McGorry). Only this time, for extra added entertainment value she is constipated and everyone in the kitchen is competing to find her a cure.

And yup, we are still stuck with the even more absurd embezzlement scheme by Fig. There are plenty of things that I know nothing about, but this is literally impossible. Fig could steal goods and even skim small amounts but there is no way she could embezzle what seems to be millions of dollars from a federal facility (too many bureaucratic paperwork requirements seen and examined by too many eyes).

1. "She's High as a Kite on Psych Meds"

I wanted to take a moment to cheer the Silver Foxes getting a more central role on OITNB (If you haven't seen S2 and S3 yet they are constantly hilarious). It is also good to see Red (Kate Mulgrew) finding a new crew (this will also become pretty significant soon).

Looks Blue, Tastes Red also marks the entry of one of the best villains on any season of OITNB with Vee (Loraine Toussaint).

The reference to meds is a reference to Blanca (Laura Gomez) who is babbling incoherently in the cafeteria. As I have mentioned many times before, the treatment of the mentally ill in prison is absolutely abhorrent and disgusting to me.