John Oliver's deep dive into prison labor is as disturbing as it is eye-opening

"The current system of low wages and high cost is clearly no good for anyone."
 By 
Sam Haysom
 on 
John Oliver's deep dive into prison labor is as disturbing as it is eye-opening
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How much do you really know about prison labor?

From the amount of money prisoners get paid to the effect their low wages can have on their families, John Oliver is here to explain it all.

In the segment above from Last Week Tonight, he breaks down the damage the current system is doing to the loved ones of people who have been incarcerated.

"One in three families reported going into debt to pay for phone calls or visitation -- which is terrible!" says Oliver. "And that doesn't really set up a prisoner for success once they are released.

"Look, the current system of low wages and high cost is clearly no good for anyone, but for the companies who are somehow managing to massively profit from this."

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Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.


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