(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: 12 bearded Russians engage 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 50 pro sports teams.
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,
Dick 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 Vagina Off.
I could stop, but I won't.
Because they also mentioned
Party With Sluts,
Anal 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 fucking 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 threaten your right to a fair trial,
to how small municipal violations can wind up putting you in the fuck 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!
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 fuck.
She don't give a fuck 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 tank 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 fucked a watermelon.
Maybe it happened 14 years ago.
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, 5:00 if you leave at 4:30?"
"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 fuck 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 drugs to pay back Pennsylvania.
Oh, my God.
So, in order to pay for the program to keep him away from dealing drugs,
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 drugs
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 fuck 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 fucking asshole!
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.
*