List of Oz (TV series) characters
The characters of "Oz", fictional characters on the television series about prison life, are a diverse mixture of inmates from various gangs and prison staff. Other inmates. Aryan inmates. The Aryans are a fierce gang. Led through the whole series by the charismatic Vernon Schillinger. They are racist, nationalist, tough and like to have what are known in the series as "Prags" (The show's term for a "Bitch"). They, and mostly Schillinger himself, take up most of the Oz rape statistic. Curiously they rarely have feuds with the Homeboys but rather with the  Muslims. The Aryans were in a perpetual alliance with the Bikers, had a CO on their "payroll," and were a force to be reckoned with. Biker inmates. The Bikers are, for the most part, some of the toughest inmates. They are also Schillinger and the other Aryans' allies and as such, share at least some of his thoughts on race, religion, etc. Jaz Hoyt is their leader. Christian inmates. The Christians are perhaps the most quiet of all the groups in Oz, but they get a voice when Jeremiah Cloutier entered the fold. Cloutier converted Biker Jim Burns and got  close to Vern Schillinger, but unfortunately these connections proved fatal when he banished Timmy Kirk from his congregation. Timmy Kirk was using the flock to extort and punish inmates he considered wicked, but was indeed wicked himself, and eventually turned to Satanism before finally being killed by Jaz Hoyt on his second attempt. Other notable members include William Cudney, who shot the child of a doctor who had aborted his wife's fetus, and Robert Sippel, a pedophile priest, who was eventually nailed by Schillinger and the Aryans. Gay inmates. The Gays are the most non-violent gang in the  prison and they stick together. They do not seem to have a leader but Fiona and Ray Masters are the front figures. Despite usually being in the background, they have had some notable members. Richie Hanlon was a kind individual who was shafted by the Aryans, and Jason Cramer was the only inmate who was ever released and stayed out. Nat Ginzburg was known for killing the former Italian leader Antonio Nappa. Alonso Torquemada who entered late in the series, seemed the perfect leader with tons of ambition, but by then the show was declared to be over. Homeboys. The  Homeboys are the main Black gang in Oz and have the most members compared to other gangs. They also however suffer the most losses, although many of them are due to internal struggles. They are the least religious group and the most drug affected. Irish inmates. The Irish are perhaps the smallest gang in Oz based on membership, mostly driven by the schemes of Ryan O'Reily. As a gang they might appear to be insignificant, but Ryan O'Reily manages to factor into most major plots throughout the series. Italian and Sicilian inmates. The Italians and Sicilians, also known as the  Wiseguys, are one of the most powerful gangs. In the beginning of the series, they run the drug trade with an iron fist but because of Ryan O'Reily and Simon Adebisi, they lost their leader Nino Schibetta and control of the trade. Schibetta's son, Peter, failed to take it back but under Antonio Nappa they finally got back a lot of their power. Adebisi caused trouble again by infecting Nappa with AIDS. When the prospect of a slow death caused Nappa to want to confess his crimes, he was ordered killed by the next leader, Chucky Pancamo. Pancamo then  led the wiseguys for the rest of the series, only with brief interlude when he was stabbed by Robson and almost died from a staph infection Latino inmates. The Latinos, also known as "El Norte", are one of the three main players in the drug trade along with the Italians and Homeboys. They tend to have an easier relationship with the Italians rather than the Homeboys, although they have cooperated with both. Besides drugs, they also deal in alcohol and medical supplies via their members doing work detail as orderlies. Miguel Alvarez led the gang in the beginning, then El  Cid Hernandez took over and forced Alvarez into proving himself by sticking out the eyes of a CO. This landed Alvarez in solitary where he went in and out through the series. Chico Guerra was the perpetual lieutenant, both to Hernandez and Morales. Guerra had a long rivalry and vendetta to Alvarez, but made peace in the end. After Morales died, nobody stepped up to lead. Muslim inmates. The Muslims are the most devout gang in Oz. They mostly stay away from violence and gang-related things. They are anti-drugs and against almost everything else that falls in that  category. Kareem Saïd was their natural leader for almost the entire series, but his position was usurped by Hamid Khan (Ironically just after Saïd refused a pardon to be with his Muslim brothers). After Khan died in the boxing tournament, Arif took over but found he could not lead. Saïd took over leadership duties again but after he killed Adebisi in self-defense and convert Salah Udeen was killed by the Aryans, he had an angry period where he gave into violence a lot. When he came around again he started the book-binding business, and then suddenly, was shot  by Lemuel Idzik. Arif took over after that, but again could not handle it. When the series ended it was not certain who was the leader. Huseni Mershah was more gang member-like but his effort to take over from Saïd failed and he was cast out. Saïd converted Jefferson Keane but he was set up by Ryan O'Reily fearing that he would inform on him. The Muslims had almost inevitably long-running tensions with the Aryans. Prison staff. The corrections officers (COs) are mostly white, with many black and some Latino officers. They range from kind and well-meaning  to cruel and violent. Diane Wittlesy was the CO supervisor in Emerald City initially, then succeeded by Karl Metzger, Sean Murphy, Travis Smith and then Murphy again. Claire Howell excels in cruelty and sexual harassment, despite being a guard. Other staff members try their best to run the Penitentiary but sometimes get involved with the Inmates, such as main nurse Dr. Nathan's relationship with O'Reily, and McManus always getting into complicating and overwhelming situations with several of the Inmates in his unit of Emerald City. Sponsors. Due to Emerald City's unconventional configuration and routine, each new inmate is  given a sponsor to help acclimate. Inmates are generally paired with sponsors of similar nationality, background, race, and/or religion, to help acclimate, with the help of someone with similar interests and beliefs. Specific requests for current Emerald City prisoners to be paired up with inbound inmates have occasionally been made and granted. Below is a list of inmates and sponsors.