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John Oliver Points Out Obstacles Ex-Cons Face in PA (VIDEO)

How are ex-cons ever expected to succeed after prison if society won’t give them a chance?

John Oliver addressed this question on last night’s Last Week Tonight, noting the many flaws with America’s system that makes adjusting back into communities near impossible post-incarceration.

At one point, Oliver mentioned that in Pennsylvania there is a $60 fee just to enter the parole program and if you don’t have the money for the fees you can be forced to go back to jail.

As a result, some people have reported that they resort to dealing drugs in order to pay these fees. The comedian emphasized the irony of this fact, as people are engaging in criminal behavior in an attempt to stay out of jail.

“So in order to pay for the program to keep him away from dealing drugs. He has to earn money drug-dealing,” Oliver joked. “At this point the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections might as well change its slogan to ‘Y’All Come Back Now, Y’Hear?’”

The whole video is worth a watch, but you could catch this section from 11:00 to 11:55 (also look out for a cameo from PA Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel at 3:40).

5 Responses

  1. I wonder how many former inmates Mr. Oliver employs on his show. I’m guessing 0 with all white ivy league males.

  2. Misspelling Republicans makes you look as dumb as them! If your trying to be funny, keep your day job @HaHaHa ironic since your not funny.

  3. Big Business interests have taken over “justice” in the United States. And that means Repervlicans. And that means that Blacks and other minorities will suffer more. It is a perversion of justice. Just ask the Pope.

  4. This was a great segment. No argument that offenders need to pay a price for breaking the law. But when prisoners finish their time and go back to society, we have a system that is stacked unfairly against them. There will always be some individuals that are released and commit another crime and return to prison. Some of them will never leave crime behind. Those that genuinely have been reformed are driven back to it out of desperation as Oliver discusses. Those that get out of prison and really want to turn their life away from crime, deserve a second chance.

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