Michigan sheriff gets rid of orange jumpsuits because they are too 'cool'

SAGINAW, Mich., July 21 (UPI) -- A sheriff at a Michigan jail is going to have his inmates start changing into stripes because all-orange jumpsuits are now viewed as "cool."

Inmates at the Saginaw County Jail will now be wearing black-and-white stripes inside the facility.

"It's because as you see shows on television, like Orange Is The New Black, some people think it's cool to look like an inmate of the Saginaw County Jail with wearing all orange jumpsuits out at the mall or in public," Saginaw County Sheriff William Federspiel told the Sagina News. "It's a concern because we do have our inmates out sometimes doing work in the public, and I don't want anyone to confuse them or have them walk away."

The uniforms cost $11.73 apiece and usually last for about two to three years.

"We decided that the black-and-white stripes would be the best way to go because it signifies 'jail inmate,' and I don't see people out there wanting to wear black-and-white stripes," Federspiel said.

The transition to the new look is still ongoing and it's expected to be completed by the end of the year despite complaints from some of the inmates.

"They don't like it. They've been very verbal," he said.

"A lot of them have said, 'We don't like wearing black-and-white stripes.' And my response is, 'Too bad. Don't come to jail.' If you come to dinner at my house and you don't like what I'm serving, don't come back. If you don't like the food, don't come back. If you don't like the clothes that I give you, don't come back. I didn't ask you to come wear this uniform."