02x33 - Prisoner reentry

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[theme music playing]

[cheers and applause]

Welcome, welcome, welcome
to "Last Week Tonight."

Thank you so much
for joining us.

I'm John Oliver.

Just time for
a quick recap of the week.

And we begin
with the UK,

Earth's least Magic Kingdom.

This week, debate
has been raging over there

over a controversial new law.

The British government
is unveiling new
surveillance laws

that significantly extend
its power

to monitor people's
activities online.

Theresa May there calls it
"a license to operate."

Others have called it
a "Snooper's Charter,"
haven't they?

Well, hold on, because
"Snooper's Charter" is not
the right phrase.

That sounds like the agreement
an eight-year-old is forced
to sign

promising to knock
before he enters
his parents' bedroom.

"Dexter, sign
this Snooper's Charter,

"or we cannot
be held responsible
for what you might see."

This bill could potentially
write into law

a huge invasion of privacy.

Under the plans, a list
of websites visited by every
person in the UK

will be recorded
for a year

and could be made
available to police
and security services.

Man: This communications data
wouldn't reveal

the exact web page
you looked at,

it would show
the site it was on.

Okay, so it wouldn't store
the exact page,

just the website.

But that is still
a lot of information.

For instance,
if someone visited Orbitz.com,

you'd know they were
thinking about taking a trip.

If they visited Yahoo.com,

you'd know they just
had a stroke and forgot
the word "Google."

And if they visited
vigvoovs.com,

you'd know they're horny
and their B-key doesn't work.

And yet,

for all the sweeping powers
the bill contains,

British Home Secretary
Theresa May insists

that critics have
blown it out of proportion.

An Internet connection record
is a record

of the communication service
that a person has used,

not a record of every
web page they have accessed.

It is simply the modern
equivalent of an itemized
phone bill.

Yeah, but that's not quite
as reassuring as she thinks
it is, and I'll tell you why.

First, I don't want
the government looking
at my phone calls either.

And secondly,
an Internet browsing history

is a little different
from an itemized phone bill.

No one frantically deletes
their phone bill every time
they finish a call.

So, let's move on
to veterans,

the only people on Earth
who can pull off
a camo jacket...

Gwyneth.

Wednesday...

Wednesday is Veterans Day,

a chance for Americans
around the country to salute
those who've served.

Although, if you've watched
any sporting event any time
in the past few years,

you could be excused
for thinking every day
is Veterans Day.

Man: The roar of a military
flyover is the highlight
of NFL pre-game activities.

Announcer:
Then the Padres take
the field in their camo uni.

Woman:
Pre-game, a full field flag
was unveiled

in honor of our troops.

Man: A tribute to those
who protect our way of life.

Announcer:
There is Dad, home from Korea.

And here's your moment
that makes you proud to be
an American.

Announcer 2:
Please direct your attention
high above the scoreboard

and welcome Sergeant
First Class Richard Babineau

as he rappels down
from the arena catwalk

for tonight's
ceremonial puck drop.

Holy shit!

That is awesome!

Although, quick tip
to the NHL--

maybe don't lead off
your festivities

with something objectively
cooler than the product
you're presenting.

"Hope you enjoyed
an American hero
flying through the air.

"Now for your main event:
in full-contact figure skating

"while trying to whack
a flat ball."

Unfortunately though,

it turns out while some
military tributes were
for the right reasons,

others may have been
a little more self-serving.

You know those moments when
you see a military member
sing the national anthem

or carry out the American
flag at a game?

Well, an unprecedented
congressional review has found

those moments are
often actually paid for by
the Department of Defense.

Woman: Investigations show
that as many as 72 contracts

were in place with up to


That's right. This week
we learned the full extent

of how the US military
had been quietly paying
sports teams

in exchange for seemingly
genuine emotional moments--

a phenomenon usually reserved
for the Girlfriend
Experience section

of Craigslist
Casual Encounters.

And the details of some
of these deals are amazing.

The Air Force paid
the Dallas Mavericks $5,000
for a package that included

throwing out T-shirts that
the Air Force itself provided.

And the National Guard
paid the Atlanta Falcons
to recognize its birthday,

and that is so sad.

That's what a mom does
for her socially inept
third-grader.

"Listen, if you come
to Gregory's party
for 45 minutes,

"I'll get you an Xbox One,

"but you have to talk to him
and you cannot deny
you came."

Now, the response to this
story from the leagues
has been unimpressive.

NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell promised,

if they find any inappropriate
payments were made,

they will be refunded in full.

And the commissioner
of Major League Baseball
claimed,

the teams didn't always
collect the money
in the contract,

and even when they did,

there was some important
context we should all
bear in mind.

I think that our clubs,
for the minuscule amount
of money involved here,

it's just not material
to their business.

And I think that the amount
of things that we do free
for the military,

hundreds and hundreds of fold,
makes up

for whatever small
payments are involved
in these contracts.

No, it doesn't.

And you just made this
even grosser.

You're basically saying,
"Well, maybe we did
take your money,

"but we're so rich,
we didn't even need it.

"And besides, we've done
so much for veterans,

"a little thank you for
your service would be nice
for a change."

And finally tonight,
staying in the world of sport,

the Washington Redskins--

amazingly, only the 19th
most indefensible thing
about the NFL.

You may remember
back in July,

a federal judge
upheld a decision
by the US Patent Office

to cancel the Redskins'
trademark protection,

ruling that it does not
extend to names that
may disparage people.

Well, last Friday,
the team fired back.

The team is defending its name
with an interesting tactic,

listing out the companies
with offensive names

that the government
has approved.

Here on 8 News,
we will not be listing out
those names,

because they are,
indeed, offensive.

Okay, okay. That's fine.
That's understandable.

However, here on HBO,
we have no such restrictions,

so we will be reading
the names out in full.

Because, and I'll
tell you why,

in a bid to show
the Patent Office's
double standards,

the Redskins actually pointed,
in their legal brief,

to approved trademarks
such as,

Slutsseeker dating services,

Capitalism Sucks
Donkey Balls,

and Hot Octopuss
anti-premature
ejaculation creams.

The team also cited

Edible Crotchless
Gummy Panties,

d*ck Balls,

and Klitoris with a K.

I could go on,

so I will.

They also pointed
to MILF Weed,

Make Your Own Dildo,

and Laughing My vag*na Off.

I could stop,
but I won't.

Because they also mentioned

Party With Sluts,

a**l Fantasy Collection,

and Jizz Underwear.

Oh, sorry,
I forgot to mention,

if you have children
in the room,

they should have left before
the previous 30 seconds.

Now, the Redskins maintain
that their legal argument here

is actually quite simple.

Man:
The Washington Redskins
want to know

why their trademark
is different.

The Redskins say that more
than three million trademarks
have been issued

and not one of them ever
canceled for being offensive.

Okay, you know what,
that might be a fair point.

Although, for the record,

that means the Redskins'
moral defense is
now essentially,

"Hey, our name
is no worse than that of--"

and again, this is another
real trademark cited
in their case--

"the Shank the Bitch
board game,"

which I'm guessing had
to be trademarked

to distinguish it from
the Shank the Bitch
breakfast cereal,

and Nancy Meyers'
"Shank the Bitch,"
the motion picture.

But maybe the most
obnoxious part

of the Redskins'
entire 82-page appeal
is when they argued...

Because A, no it isn't,

and B,
that's not the f*cking point.

The word Redskins isn't
"potentially" disparaging
to "someone."

It is "currently" disparaging
to specific individuals,

no matter how often
you try to deny it
by saying things like this.

Man:
The Redskins have long said

the name is intended to honor
Native Americans,
not insult them.

Look, if I may talk
to Redskins' owner Dan Snyder
for a moment.

Intending to honor something
is a lot different from
actually honoring it.

Although, since you seem
to feel differently,

let me suggest that everyone
now honor Dan Snyder

by renaming their fantasy
football teams...

And hey, hey, Dan,
don't get upset.

Everything is potentially
disparaging to somebody.

And now, this.

[announcer speaking]

There's a big appetite
for outsiders.

That used to be what
they said about you
when you came in.

They still do.
You just have to listen,
they still do.

It's time to get someone
who's an outsider.

I wake up every morning
as an outsider.

Well, I can't think of
anything more of an outsider

than electing
the first woman president.

Woman: Are you
a plausible outsider?

Yeah, I haven't been
in Washington D.C.

I wouldn't know
how to drive.

I can barely get from Dulles
to Senator Grassley's office.

I'm very much outside the box.

Moving on.

Now, this year--

This year we've covered
many depressing aspects of
our criminal justice system--

from how mandatory minimum
sentencing has crowded
our prisons,

to how bail
punishes the poor,

to how overstretched
public defenders thr*aten
your right to a fair trial,

to how small municipal
violations can wind up putting
you in the f*ck barrel.

And, fun fact:

If you binge-watch
those episodes in order,

you are entitled
to an ice cream cone
at Dairy Queen.

So, congratulations,
enjoy it.

You have earned it.

Just to be clear,
it's not free,

and Dairy Queen is not
involved in any capacity.

The point is, though,

after learning about
our shattered justice system,

you've frankly earned
the right to eat
your feelings

with a Peanut Buster Parfait,

the only frozen treat
in America with "nut buster"
as part of its name.

Anyway, tonight,

instead of talking about
how people wind up in prison,

I thought we'd talk
about how they leave,

a process known
as prison re-entry.

It's particularly relevant
this week

in light of what happened
just last weekend.

The largest one-time release
of federal prisoners
in history

is getting underway today.

The move is in response
to a loosening of mandatory
minimum sentences

for nonviolent
drug offenders.

About 6,000 prisoners
are being set free today.

Yes, 6,000 mostly low-level
drug offenders were
released last week,

and if you are one of them,
let me bring you up to speed

on what you may have missed
since you've been inside.

Um, Uber's replaced cabs,

everyone pretends
to like kale now,

Matthew McConaughey
has an Oscar,

and in four states
pot is legal--

which, for some of you,
must seem like a cruel,
cruel irony.

Now, unsurprisingly,

this news was not exactly
welcomed by everyone.

When you release people
like that, you're gonna have
an increase in crime.

Okay.
No doubt in my mind.

Some believe the prisoner
release is a racial deal

that will put Americans
in jeopardy.

It's part of an effort
to reduce prison overcrowding.

But who exactly
are these prisoners?
Are they dangerous?

Yes, are they dangerous?

Is this the purge?
Is it happening?

Is this the pur--
What, do I--

Do I need to buy a mask,
or will one be provided
for me?

I don't know how
the purge works.

Now, to be clear,
by and large,
these prisoners

were going to be released
in a couple of years anyway.

So, people are essentially
freaking out about something

that had it happened
two years later, they wouldn't
even have noticed.

And it's also worth noting
that more than 600,000 people

get released from state
and federal prisons
every year.

So, 6,000 more would represent
an increase of less
than one percent.

And the only time anyone
actually notices a change
that small

is your dad
with the thermostat.

And hey, when you have
your own place, you can
heat it like the tropics,

but not while
he's paying the bills.

Unfor--
You're burning money!

Unfortunately,

we have a lot
of misconceptions

about what leaving prison
is actually like.

Perhaps because it's often
presented in movies and TV
as a happy moment,

when former inmates
rejoin families and friends

and put their life
back together.

I'm free!

Free! Oh, Lord!
I never thought I'd get out.

That's a good hug.
That's a good hug.

Man: What was important is
that we cut a deal,

and Kenny was finally free.

Patrick!

SpongeBob!

Aww, that's so nice.

Although, the last scene
was slightly undercut

when Patrick
the starfish realized

SpongeBob had joined
the Aryan Brotherhood
while inside.

Hey, hey!
He did what he had to do!

He did what he had to do!

But the sad truth is

for a surprisingly high
number of prisoners,

their time on the outside
may be brief.

The national average
of recidivism is 50%.

So, we're spending 80 billion
dollars and failing half
the time, right?

That doesn't make
any sense.

No, it doesn't
make any sense.

The only thing we're allowed
to throw billions at just
to fail half the time

is this man,

vandalized Urban Outfitters
mannequin, Johnny Depp.

The fact that around half
of people who leave prison

end up going back
is horrifying.

But when you look
at the challenges they face,

it gets a little
less surprising.

In fact,
let me walk you through

what's it's like
when you get out of prison.

And let's just start
with minute one.

Because when inmates
exit that gate to start
a new life,

they could find themselves
in the middle of nowhere

with little to nothing
in their pockets.

And the lucky ones might
get enough for a bus ticket
and a meal,

but even exonerated
prisoners like Glenn Ford

can walk out
with little to build
a life on.

Man: Glenn Ford was given
a $20 gift card the day
he left Angola Prison.

Gave me the card for $20
and said, "Wish you luck."

How long
did that last you?

One meal.

I had some fried chicken, tea,

and the french fries
came with it.

I had four dollars
and change left.

A $20 gift card.

If you're exonerated,
you should probably
be leaving prison

with more than you take home
after a disappointing
office Secret Santa.

And hey, don't act surprised
that that gift was terrible.

Your name got picked
by Janice from accounting,

and you know
she don't give a f*ck.

She don't give a f*ck
about you.

And look,
once your money runs out,

you can find yourself
hungry and desperate.

Because in many states anyone
with felony drug convictions

can be banned
from government food benefits.

And if your family
lives in public housing,

you may not be able
to return home.

Because some places
require tenants
to sign papers

banning relatives with
convictions from entering
their homes.

And while those rules may
have been written to reduce
crime in public housing,

they're administered
so broadly it can lead
to situations like this.

Woman:
Geraldine Miller
signed the ban

after her son robbed
a bodega at 16.

Had I'd known
what I know today,

I would have never
signed that paper.

Woman:
Miller herself now
faces eviction

after her son was caught
helping her with groceries
after she became ill.

She has to go to her
brother's apartment
to see her son.

NYCHA want me to throw
my son away.

I can't. I can't.

Look, we all want people
who've committed crimes
to learn their lesson,

but "never help your sick
mother with groceries"

sounds more like the kind
of lesson you'd learn from
a shitty Boyscout leader.

"Hey, kids, never help
your sick mother
with groceries,

"always know where
the exits are in a dogfight,

"and never pay
a stripper up front.

"Scouts dismissed."

And look, restricted
access to food and shelter

could be just the beginning
of your problems.

Depending on where you live,
a felony conviction can cut
you off from everything

from voting,
to a driver's license,

to-- and this is true--

one Florida county's home
weatherization program.

So, I guess Florida is
perfectly happy to put
people behind bars,

but they draw the line
at putting them behind
storm windows and insulation.

And while you could pay
for food, shelter,
and weatherization with a job,

your opportunities
to get one of those
might be severely limited.

There are state and local
bans preventing ex-felons
from working as everything

from a nurse
to a septic t*nk cleaner,

to, in Mississippi,

an alligator rancher.

As if breaking into
the alligator
ranching business

wasn't already hard enough
as it is.

You know, it's all who you
know who's been eaten by
an alligator in that game.

And a criminal record
can even make

getting an interview
for a job difficult.

Man:
Nearly every job application
will ask a potential employee

if he or she has ever been
convicted of a felony,

a question that,
in some cases,

will automatically disqualify
you from getting hired.

It makes you
a little uncomfortable.

You get that anxiety
when you get to that box.

It's like, wow,
how are they gonna judge me?

You know, knowing that
I committed this crime.

How are they
gonna feel about this?

And it's understandable

that an employer might want
to know if an applicant
has a criminal history,

but to have that question
on a form before you've even
met the person

seems a little unfair.

They may have changed
significantly since then,

and you shouldn't judge
someone on what they may be
most ashamed of.

Imagine if you had once
f*cked a watermelon.

Maybe it happened


You're not proud of it,
and you've changed since then.

If every job application
you filled out had this
question on it

with no opportunity
to give context of
how drunk you were,

or the fact that you haven't
even looked at a watermelon
for over a decade,

you'd begin to feel like
the deck was stacked
against you.

And some states seem to even
acknowledge how hard
this process can be.

Ohio actually has a list
of job tips for ex-offenders

with dos and don'ts,
such as...

But if you're asked why
you left your last job,

Instead...

And they are.

And before you judge,
that is not a lie.

Everyone tries to present
the most flattering image
of themselves.

You do it when you use
a filter on an Instagram
photo of yourself.

Even the queen does it.

Because this is her
official portrait,

but this is who
she actually is.

But deep down,

she knows you can't
put that face on money.

And all of this is before
we get to the difficulty

of ex-prisoners
navigating parole.

Two-thirds of parolees
who go back to prison

do so not due
to a new crime,

but because
of parole violations,

sometimes for
reasons as simple
as missing appointments

or failing a drug test.

And for some it may be because

they're dealing with untreated
substance abuse
or mental illness,

but for others
who are trying their hardest,

satisfying the conditions
of parole can be
maddeningly difficult.

Look at Bilal Chatman.

He spent a decade in prison
for a nonviolent drug offense

but despite the odds,

he managed to get his life
back on track and find
a job that he loved.

Things were going well

until he hit a problem
regarding scheduling meetings
with his probation officer.

So, he got off, I think,
every day about 4:00,

and so my job didn't--
I didn't get off until 4:30.

I said, "Okay, well,
can I come in early?"

Said "No,
you can't come in early."

I said, "Well, okay.
Well then, can I come
a little later?

"Can I get there at like,


"I don't stay and wait
for you. I'm not gonna
wait for you."

So, I don't wanna lose
my job. This is the thing
that I'm supposed to be doing.

This is what
I'm out here for,

is I'm working to be
a productive member
of society.

I felt set up.

I felt like I was
set up to fail.

I felt most people
in that situation
are set up to fail.

And you know what?
It is hard to argue with that.

Because the only way
Bilal could make
an appointment at 4:00,

if he left at 4:30,

would be if he somehow
owned a DeLorean, a TARDIS,

or whatever the f*ck
Jean-Claude Van Damme used
in "Timecop."

I can't remember.

I think he traveled
through time
by doing the splits.

It's been a while,
but I think it was
a splits-based system.

Also, depending on
where you live,

you might not just struggle
to meet your parole officer,

you might struggle
to pay him.

Because in many states
you actually have to pay

for probation
and parole service.

And in Pennsylvania they
charge a $60 fee just
to enter the program.

And if you don't have
the money for all the fees
they charge,

as one Pennsylvania
parolee explains,

you can be forced to make
a truly ridiculous choice.

You go to see your parole
officer and you don't
have money?

They will hold you.

Job or no job.
And if you don't pay,
you come back to jail.

Yeah.
I know one thing.

I found myself selling dr*gs
to pay back Pennsylvania.

Oh, my God.

So, in order to pay for
the program to keep him
away from dealing dr*gs,

he has to earn money
drug dealing.

At this point,
the Pennsylvania
Department of Corrections

might as well
change its motto to,

"Y'all come back now, y'hear?"

By now, you may be wondering
who is responsible for
a system this broken.

Well, interestingly,
the answer is pretty
much everybody.

Many of the obstacles
you've seen originated in
the tough-on-crime '90s

with surprisingly
little debate.

Remember the ban
on ex-prisoners
from entering public housing

which forced Geraldine Miller
to kick out her son?

Well, here's where
that started.

From now on, the rule
for residents who commit
crime and peddle dr*gs

should be one strike
and you're out.

[applause]

That is a State of the Union
standing ovation

from both sides.

Almost nothing gets
a full-room standing ovation
during those speeches,

with the exception of
veterans, God,
and the speech being over.

In many cases, these laws
were passed with barely
a second thought.

The 1996 law letting states
restrict food stamps
for ex-drug felons.

was debated in the Senate
for all of three minutes.

I've been talking about
this subject for nearly five
times longer than they did

and I'm leaving a f*ck
of a lot of stuff out.

Mainly because I had to make
time for "Timecop" references.

And frankly, as well,

no one batted an eye when
Bart Gordon, a Democrat
from Tennessee,

justified cutting off
federal student aid for
prisoners with this logic.

Just because one blind hog
may occasionally find
an acorn

doesn't mean many other
blind hogs will.

The same principle applies
to giving federal Pell Grants
to prisoners.

First of all,

pigs find nuts by smell,

so a blind one is at no
significant disadvantage
in an acorn hunt.

And second of all,

people aren't pigs,
you f*cking assh*le!

And look, I know, I know...

it is not always easy to care

about the welfare
of ex-prisoners.

And some are going
to re-offend no matter
what you do.

But the fact remains,
over 95% of all prisoners
will eventually be released.

So, it's in
everyone's interest

that we try to give them
a better chance at success.

Because under
the current system,

if they do manage to overcome
all the obstacles we've set,

it's a minor miracle.

And one of the people
who have managed to beat
those odds is Bilal Chatman.

I'm happy to say that
he is still in his job
and he's still doing well.

And I'm even happy to say
he's actually with us
this evening.

So, please welcome
Bilal Chatman!

[cheering, applause]

Thanks a lot.
Hi, Bilal.

Bilal Chatman,
ladies and gentlemen.

Please, sit down.

Bilal, Bilal.

Uh, thank you so much
for coming tonight.

I know that you were
not sure about doing this.

So, I wanna thank you
for being here.
Yes.

Now, you managed to keep
the job that you were
talking about in that clip.

And we saw the State of Ohio
giving advice to prisoners

about how to present
their truth.

And when you were
applying for jobs,

you listed your previous
employer as-- What did
you list?

State of California.

The State of California.
That's right.

That is-- Yeah.

That's technically true.

Yeah, that is true. Yeah.
That's true. That's true.

Now, I know--
How is the job going?

Absolutely fantastic.
I couldn't have scripted it
another way,

any way better
than what's going on.

I'm very excited
I'm very fortunate
and blessed,

they've given me
this opportunity.

And yes, I'm dedicated
to them. Absolutely wonderful.

I know that
one of the reasons
you're nervous

is that because not everyone
you work for or with
knows about the fact

that you were once
in prison.

Now, you're going to work
tomorrow morning.
Yes.

They may know by then.
Yes.

So, I guess what I want
to know is what particularly
are you most worried about?

I guess I'm more worried about
being judged for what
I used to be.

I'm not that same person.

You know, I've dedicated
myself, I've changed myself.

I'm no longer
that person. You know?

As time goes on,
you become, you know,
I become a better person.

I worked really hard
at the things that
I've taken from society.

And so, yeah.

So, what are the concerns,
though? That they'll--
What they will think?

Or how they might behave?

What is the spectrum
of circumstances that
you're concerned about?

I guess I'm more--
People are judgmental.

People that don't know.
You know?

I don't want anybody
to look at me as the ex-con.

I want them to look
at me as the person
I am now.

I'm a supervisor.
You know, I'm a good employee.

I'm an employer.
I even hire and I fire.

Right.
So, I think they want to--

I want them to look at me
as that and continue
to live with that.

They were about to both
cheer and boo you when
you said that.

I guess that it's interesting
that you say that. Right?

That you don't want
to be defined by something
that you did so long ago.

'Cause we're probably
guilty of giving you
a reductive term in that way.

'Cause we're having you
on tonight as Bilal
the ex-prisoner.

Right.

Which is clearly not who
you've been for a long time.
Right.

Now, everyone has at least
three other things about them
that are interesting.

Mm-hmm.
What three things about you
not related to that

would you like
people to know?

Well, I would like
people to know, you know--

Well, you know,
I grow tomatoes, you know.

Wait, wait.

Wait, I'm gonna--

I'm gonna stop you--
Yeah.

I'm gonna stop you
at number one there, Bilal.

'Cause that's a lot more
interesting than I think
you think it is.

Yeah.

And I'm hoping that tomorrow,
your fellow workers

may choose, really,
mainly to focus
on the fact

you grow tomatoes...
Right.

...as being a more interesting
part of your life.

I know that one of the things
that's interesting

is that I know
how hesitant you were
to do this.

As we talked to you through
the week...
Yes.

...as we even talked to you
today and tonight.

I guess a question would be,
why did you end up
talking to us?

Why are you here?

I'm here because of the fact
that, you know, I may
never do this again.

I've done other interviews.
I may never do this again

because this takes me back
to being that prisoner again.

I'm not that prisoner today.

I'm a taxpayer.
You know, I work.

I'm a citizen.
I'm a voter.

That's who I want to be.
Those are the things that
have defined me today.

It's not what I did before.
I did things years ago
that I'm ashamed of,

you know,
that I don't like.

But I don't want
to relive that.

At the same time,
I want this opportunity to be
for someone who says,

"Oh, man, I can never
get a chance. I'll never
have a chance."

There's always a chance.
You just keep going.

But I want the person, also,
that looks down at us

that maybe there's
a chance for other people too.

[crowd cheers]
That's right.

I can't-- Bilal, I can't
thank you enough for taking
the time to be here.

Bilal Chatman,
ladies and gentlemen,

the tomato grower!

Bilal the tomato grower!

That's our show.
Our thanks to Bilal Chatman.

We'll see you next week.
Good night!

Thanks. Thanks, so much.

♪