Oliver commended President Barack Obama for commuting the sentences of 46 federal drug offenders this month, but said it’s far from enough.
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John Oliver’s trademark rant took on the subject of mandatory minimum sentences on Sunday night’s show, and despite the heartbreaking seriousness of hte topic, he managed to get off a number of hilarious lines.
The prisoners were all incarcerated under mandatory minimum sentencing laws, which require typically harsh sentences regardless of the context of each crime. “Which is a little unusual, because context is important”. “For instance, shouting the phrase ‘I’m coming!’ is fine when catching a bus, but not okay when you’re already on the bus”. “Circumstances make a huge difference, that’s what I’m trying to say”.
Oliver pointed out that the genesis of mandatory minimum sentencing came about in relation to the drug paranoia of the 80’s and 90’s, turning minor offenses, such as possession or the sale of pot, into long prison stays. Another prisoner was a non-violent first-time offender who sold a small amount of marijuana to an undercover agent and was slapped with a 55-year sentence without parole for selling a drug which is now legal in four states and, according to Oliver, “has the side effect of making episodes of Frasier slightly funnier”.
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The comedian also noted that even though certain states had lowered their sentences for non-violent drug crimes, many convicted before the reforms were enacted were still serving their original, longer sentences.
