Character Inspirations For Netflix Show To Speak At Quinnipiac

HAMDEN, CT — (From Quinnipiac University): Two formerly incarcerated women who were inspiration for characters in either the book or the popular Netflix television show, “Orange is the New Black,” will speak at Quinnipiac University on Friday, Jan. 26. The program is part of Quinnipiac’s Prison Project, which includes several projects, including college classes in which criminal justice students spend a semester learning with incarcerated students, classes for incarcerated women who are survivors of violence, and re-entry program development for formerly incarcerated citizens returning to the community.

Beatrice Codianni and Carol Soto will discuss health care for incarcerated women from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the auditorium in the Center for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences on the North Haven Campus, 370 Bassett Road. The event is free and open to the public. Click here to register.

The women also will speak about the experiences of incarcerated women in the United States from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. during a private lecture in the Clarice L. Buckman Theater on the Mount Carmel Campus.

Codianni and Soto served time with Piper Kerman, author of the book, “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison,” on which the hit Netflix series is based.

Codianni, of New Haven, is the founder and executive director of Sex Workers and Allies Network, a grassroots harm reduction organization committed to the voices and needs of people involved in survival sex work. She is also co-founder and a board member of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, as well as a JustLeadershipUSA 2017 Leading with Conviction Fellow.

Incarcerated for 15 years for her dealings as a former Latin Kings gang leader, Codianni spent her time advocating for other women in prison.

Codianni taught an AIDS prevention course at the Danbury Federal Correctional Institution and used her Literacy Volunteers of America training to help teach reading skills to incarcerated women. She successfully sued the Federal Bureau of Prisons to exempt people who are survivors of sexual abuse from cross-gender pat searches.

While incarcerated, Codianni became friends with Kerman and is referred to as “Esposito" in Kerman’s book. Codianni is a co-founder of The Real Women of Orange Is the New Black, an organization that seeks to educate high school and college students, as well as others, about the harsh truth behind the over-incarceration of women and girls in America.

Soto is a holistic health counselor, scenic artist, project coordinator and administrative support professional. She has owned and operated her own adventure tour company, Dakini Tours, bringing trekkers to Nepal and Tibet and guiding small groups to Himalayan destinations as high as 20,000 feet. Soto is “Yoga Jane” in the book, “Orange Is the New Black.”

She was arrested for possession of and conspiracy to distribute 80 grams (2.8 ounces) of marijuana under the RICO statutes with 20 co-defendants whom she had never met. She is a founding member and chapter leader in New York of the National Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.

Codianni and Soto will be joined by Jackie Lucibello, who served time at York Correctional Institution, where she gave birth to her son. Lucibello is one of the leaders of the Women’s Resettlement Working Group, an organization that focuses on providing support for formerly incarcerated women in New Haven.

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