Women’s Prison

A stern, disciplinarian warden who enforces the brutal hierarchy between the wings and prioritizes punishment over rehabilitation. He backs Amelia van Zandt's hardline regime and represents institutional authority in a system that can brutalize inmates. His interactions reveal the complicity of command structures in prisoner abuse.

The ruthless superintendent who maintains rigid rules and shows little mercy toward inmates. Her use of solitary confinement and the straitjacket demonstrates how power can numb compassion. Her actions set off the chain of violence that drives the riot and the moral crisis within the facility.

A distraught newcomer convicted of vehicular homicide, she becomes the focus of the system's most severe punishment. Isolated and overwhelmed, she teeters on the edge of despair, highlighting the human cost of harsh punitive measures. Her fate is a catalyst for the prison’s upheaval.

A pregnant inmate who shelters hope for a future with her husband and child. Her resilience inspires other inmates to protest—but she dies, becoming a martyr for the inmates' cause. Her situation exposes the vulnerability of women under brutal control and catalyzes the riot.

The compassionate physician who treats inmates and objects to the cruel treatment he witnesses. He advocates for humane care, contemplates resigning, and tries to shield prisoners from the worst abuses. His interventions create a counterpoint to the warden’s brutality.

A convict from the men's wing and Joan's husband, capable of quiet determination. He fights to visit his wife and ultimately confronts the warden with a plan to end the mistreatment, symbolizing the potential for violence when love spurs rebellion.

Joan’s cellmate who organizes the hunger strike that sparks a broader revolt. She embodies the collective will of the inmates to demand accountability and humane treatment. Her leadership underscores the power of solidarity in oppression.