Orange Is the Old Black

To investigate the conditions in the New York State prison system for women circa 1916, socialist reformer Madeleine Zabriskie Doty arranges to have herself incarcerated, masquerading as a real criminal, under the name "Maggie Martin."

Read her experiences here, in SOCIETY'S MISFITS.

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Comments

Good on her for having the courage of her convictions. Amazing photos of children in prison.

Posted by Harvey on 09/20/14 at 03:11 PM

The photo of her with feathered cap looks like Mary Martin (Larry Hagman's mom) in Mary's role as Peter Pan. Oddly, her nom de prison was Maggie Martin.

Posted by Harvey on 09/20/14 at 03:13 PM

Very brave woman. Very intelligent as well.

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 09/20/14 at 11:48 PM

Orange is the new grey:

http://gothamist.com/2014/09/18/elderly_ex_prisoners_nyc.php

Posted by BrokeDad in Midwest US on 09/21/14 at 12:43 AM

I think she got the idea to do this from watching too many cop shows on TV.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 09/21/14 at 01:46 AM

No, she probably got the idea from Nellie Bly, who did the same thing (but in an asylum) three decades earlier, and got famous over it.

Posted by Richard Bos on 09/21/14 at 10:02 AM

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