Orange County Women's Jail: A Journey Behind Bars with the Women of Sector 14

by Jennifer Sweet

Jennifer Sweet was a blissfully ignorant 22-year-old recent college graduate living the good life in sunny Orange County, California; but misplaced trust in a deviant, drug-running boyfriend led her into a dark corner of the O.C. underworld known as Orange County Women’s Jail. There was the extraordinarily-troubled and intensely-insecure Ardith Cribbs, who shot her husband to death while he was handcuffed naked to their bed; the petite, savvy and wealthy Lisa Peng, who stabbed her husband’s mistress to death and smothered their love child in a brutal attack; friendly but rageful prostitute Whitney Millano, whose mother sold her for drugs when she was two and whose father then decapitated her mother; and then there was Tracy Russell, arrested for bestiality after twice forcing sex upon her neighbor’s male dog. These and other complex and fascinating women come to life on the pages of Orange County Women’s Jail, a factual account of author Jennifer Sweet’s two years behind bars in Orange County, California. *Some names, but not all, have been changed. A deeply fascinating and enlightening book. Alternately heartbreaking, horrifying and hilarious, Orange County Women’s Jail shines a bright light on a dark, dangerous and misunderstood world of women in our midst. ~Michael Cohen, Los Angeles, CA I don’t usually read books about prison life, but Orange County Women’s Jail completely altered my perception of the genre. The women’s stories and crimes blew me away, as did their strength and resilience. An absolute must-read. ~Kate Lewis, Boston, MA Orange County Women’s Jail is the best true crime book I've read in years. The author takes us with her during her two-year stay at OCWJ, and provides an unforgettable account of the real lives of women behind bars. Three Expect the unexpected. ~Terry Crawford, Orlando, FL

Genres: Crime

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 20, 2011

Reviews

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since this came up as free on Amazon some time ago, I've been dying to read it.

It's just the sort of thing that really piques my curiosity and it didn't disappoint.

A mixture of personal history of the women Sweet met in jail to an introduction to how jail worked as well as some other random noteworthy events.

It also included quotes and at the end a selection of articles relating to people mention in the previous chapters.

A short read but very well written. A few punctuation errors but nothing to put you off reading.


My only concern was that it seemed Jennifer Sweet came across the perfect little angel with perfect grammar as opposed to the people surrounding her. Some of the tales where also a little far fetched for my imagination to handle.

[Andrea Corley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a pretty interesting real-life story of an individual who experienced lock-up at the Orange County Women's Jail. I always like to read true stories, so this peaked my interest. However, I found it a little odd that the girl who was telling the story didn't tell more of her own story. I would have rather read a little more about her than all of the other girls that she told about, but it was a good perspective that I am thankful I have only had to read about!