John Oliver Tackles Prison Labor

Check out John Oliver’s take on prison labor:

I don’t know that I’ll be using this entire segment in class. Since it’s devoted to criminal incarceration, it’s not a solid fit for my Immigration Law course. But I can definitely see using smaller clips for Crimmigration.

Here’s the thing. We all know that private detention facilities function by having detainees do the work at less than a fraction of what an American would charge to do the same labor. Paying someone 1$ a day to cook for hundreds is pretty ridiculous when you think about it.

What John Oliver’s piece does that is very clever is not only tell the tale of how much individuals earn but what they need to buy with their earnings: sanitary pads, telephone calls, and medical care, among other amenities. That’s even before we get to the question of how much those products are upcharged by the detention facilities themselves.

A remarkable watch.

-KitJ