John Oliver Gets It Right Again
March 26, 2015
On this week’s episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver tackled the issue of criminal justice debt, providing an in-depth look at how relatively small violations can have disastrous effects on the lives of low-income people. He explained how fines and fees arising from traffic and other low-level offenses, often used as a way to fund local governments without raising taxes, can trap those unable to pay in a vicious cycle of debt. Failure to pay a fine can lead to additional surcharges and fees, the suspension of one’s driver’s license, or even jail time in some cases. Furthermore,