Original subtitles

Ss you, baby. The kids miss you.

The judge told us that you ain't ever getting out.

I can't believe Adam got you thrown in prison.

Are you okay?

It'll be fine.

I've seen "Orange Is the New Black."

I'll make friends of varying

ethnic backgrounds and grow as a person.

- Very slowly. - Time's up.

Wait, am I Jason Biggs?

Gotta go, bye, I love you.

But no one likes Jason Biggs!

(overlapping shouts, laughter)

Quiet! (shouting, laughter stops)

You gonna learn today!

Hi, my name's Emily. I've never been

to prison before. I'm awaiting trial

on a small, trumped up drug charge,

and I'm trying not to be scared

by keeping an open mind and checking my privilege.

What's your name?

Wow.

I can already tell that this is gonna be long.

I'm Kendra.

I'm awaiting trial for drugs, too.

And I got priors.

What priors?

More drugs.

Oh, boy, you're nice.

See, I knew prison wouldn't be that bad.

(neck squeaks) You know, it probably serves

a pretty important purpose.

It deters crime,

it punishes people appropriately,

and it gives us a chance to rehabilitate ourselves.

Wait, I'm talking too much.

Tell me your rich emotional backstory.

How about I tell you that everything

that you just said is complete bull(bleep).

You know nothing about this place.

She's right, Emily!

Oh, no! He followed me here.

Time to "Shawshank" my way out.

Who are you?

Hi, I'm Adam Conover.

And this is "Adam Ruins Everything."

Told ya you gonna learn.

(whistling)

(beeping, buzzing)

*ADAM RUINS EVERYTHING* Season 01 Episode 21 "Adam Ruins Prison"

Adam, you got me into this,

now you get me out!

I promise, I have someone working on it.

But in the meantime, this is a great opportunity

to explain why our nation's prison system

is a failure on every level.

Ha! So you know a lot about prison?

I bet you watch a lot of PBS documentaries, huh?

I guess you're right.

I do lack firsthand knowledge.

Ooh, maybe you could help me do this episode?

Sure. Nothing better to do.

(snaps fingers)

Whoa!

Do you have magic TV powers like Adam?

Nope, but I got a lot of favors.

(both) Hmm.

Early lunch today.

Early lunch today, everyone.

America's prison system is a total mess.

Whatever purpose you think it serves, it ain't doing it.

Well, the point of prison is to reduce crime.

It's definitely not doing that.

There are 2.2 million people

incarcerated in the U.S.,

ten times more than 50 years ago.

Two million is more than the population of some states.

Welcome to Mass-Incarceration- Achusetts.

Our primary export... shivs.

Our secondary export... cod!

Hey! That's cod-traband.

(laughing)

But despite this massive increase

in the prison population,

a study conducted by the NYU School of Law

found that the effect on the crime rate

has been essentially zero.

Zero? Then why do we lock so many people up?

Well, I can't speak for all prisons,

but this one is here to make money.

Make money?

You mean someone is profiting from all this?

Yep, these guys are.

It all started in the "tough on crime" '80s,

when the war on drugs meant state

and federal prisons were bursting at the seams.

So many prisoners? What do we do?

Let corporate America handle your prisons.

We'll take care of everything.

Save you a few bucks

and skim a little off the top.

Businesses running prisons?

That sounds a little fishy.

(laughing) Just kidding!

I mean, hey, if it saves money, right?

(Adam) And so the Corrections Corporation of America,

or CCA, was born.

Okay, hold on. You can't just sell prisons

like they're cars or real estate or hamburgers.

Hmph! Then why don't you tell that to Tom Beasley.

The co-founder of CCA who once said...

(man on PA) CCA, can I take your order?

I'll have a number seven with extra solitary cells,

electric fence, and small onion rings.

Like to supermax that? Yeah, I'll supermax it.

And they rake in a ton of scratch.

Last year, CCA took in $1.7 billion.

Business is so good it's criminal.

(laughter)

Well, you know, maybe it's okay

because they're saving the taxpayer money.

Sorry! The sales pitch was wrong.

The data shows that private prisons

cost the taxpayers just as much

as regular prisons.

And today, nearly one-fifth of federal prisoners

are held in a for-profit facility.

Okay, no...

Ah, graffiti! That's an infraction.

A beautiful one. Are you Banksy?

Oh, my gosh, I already got an infraction.

They must give out a lot of these.

Oh, yeah, that's not a coincidence.

One study showed that private prisons

dole out twice as many infractions

as government prisons.

Not having enough infractions.

That's an infraction.

That's an infraction.

which earns the company even more cash.

Oh, so the more people that are in prison,

the more money they make.

Ooh, that's dirty!

Yep, that's why private prisons

sneak occupancy clauses into their contracts,

which actually require states to keep prisons full.

Last year, a private prison in Arizona

didn't make their 97% capacity quota,

so the state government had to pay them

a $3 million fine.

Fines like that incentivize cash-strapped states

to keep people in prison as long as possible.

Your parole forms are in order

and you've been a model prisoner,

so we're going to... (clears throat)

Lock you back up.

We really can't afford to pay another fine.

That's reprehensible.

Look, not all prisons are private prisons,

but this one is, so no,

it's purpose isn't to stop crime.

It's the dollar-dollar bills, y'all!

(chuckling) Whoo!

I can't believe all this has been happening

and I didn't even know.

I mean, I never thought about prison, like, at all.

Hey, pulling back the curtain

on our disturbing business practices,

that's an infraction.

Hey, that makes three infractions.

You're gonna go to solitary.

Okay, that doesn't sound so bad.

You know, peace and quiet, do some meditating.

No, solitary confinement

is a cruel and inhumane punishment

that has no place in modern society.

Wait, what?

Eh, we'll tell you about it

after you get settled in the hole.

No, tell me now!

Ever wonder why Americans eat so much cheese?

It's everywhere.

Tacos, burgers, even inside our pizza crust.

(gulps)

Well, it all started during the Great Depression.

The dairy industry was on the brink of collapse.

Without my cheese,

I got nothing to live for.

("Hail to the Chief" playing)

So the government decided to bail them out.

Uncle Sam will protect you.

I'll buy your dang cheese.

(sobbing)

For decades to come, America used tax dollars

to buy up a whole bunch of cheese

and save Big Cow.

Moo!

The United States bought so much excess dairy

they needed somewhere to store it,

so they made a, uh,

somewhat questionable choice.

(ding)

We'll put it in a cave!

That's right. The government found

some caves in Missouri

and packed them full of cheese and butter.

By 1983, these literal cheese caves

held over $4 billion worth of dairy products,

and they still exist to this day.

(cheese gurgling)

The government had so much excess cheese,

they gave it away to those in need,

also known as government cheese.

(cheese bubbling)

And to this day, the government

still provides money to fast food companies

to help them market cheese-heavy products

Hey, they got a lot of cheese to unload.

And, folks, that's why America is wild about cheese.

Whoo-ee!

I'm glad I can tolerate lactose.

(munching) Oh, yeah, cheese!

(door buzzes)

Solitary confinement.

Okay, we're here, we're doing this.

Hmm.

Yeah, maybe it won't be so bad.

I can read and think and get super jacked

by punching the wall like in "Old Boy."

Yeah, okay.

Why-did-they-remake- that-movie?!

(Adam's voice) Solitary confinement

has devastating effects on prisoners' mental health.

(Kendra's voice) In solitary, you're kept alone

for 23 hours a day

in a room the size of a king-size bed.

Well, that doesn't sound so bad.

Me and Murph share a queen.

Wait, where are those voices coming from?

Oh, no, oh, gosh. I'm seeing things.

It's an archaic and cruel form of punishment

that started in the 1800s.

Eh, something to watch, I guess.

Solitary confinement was conceived by Quakers,

who thought prisoners would use the time

to reflect and study the Bible.

You know, I've been meaning to read this.

But even they decided it was too cruel to use.

The Supreme Court at the time declared...

"Prisoners subject to solitary confinement

became violently insane; others committed suicide."

Ugh. We gotta stop doing this.

Stop, stop! (Adam) We did stop.

Solitary confinement fell out of use

in the U.S. for a century,

but a few decades ago, we brought it back,

and it's been destroying minds ever since.

Destroying minds?

I mean, that sounds a little hyperbolic.

Yeah, maybe. What do I know?

I'm just a hallucination.

Hello?

Adam?

Is anyone here?

(Adam's voice) Humans are social animals,

and a prolonged lack of social contact

can cause serious and permanent brain damage.

People held in solitary hallucinate,

fall into depression,

and lose the ability to keep track

of how much time has passed.

How long have I been in here?

Oh, I'm really losing it.

Psst! Emily, you okay in there?

Kendra! Oh, thank God!

Why am I even here?

I thought solitary was for the worst of the worst.

Nope, solitary confinement

is routinely used in our prison system.

It's basically given to anyone

the guards don't want to deal with.

The mentally ill.

LGBT.

I wouldn't eat dinner.

(all) We had it coming!

Man, if I'm gonna hallucinate

a Tony award-winning musical,

why couldn't it be "Hamilton"?

Solitary confinement is given

to between 80,000 to 100,000 people a year.

There are actually entire prisons

made up of nothing but solitary cells.

They're called supermax prisons.

Enormous complexes

full of people held in tiny cages like animals,

slowly being driven insane.

(Kendra) They may be criminals,

but they don't deserve this.

And it gets worse.

Research shows that solitary causes

a syndrome called delirium.

People with delirium don't just hallucinate.

They have difficulty thinking,

they have panic attacks,

and they suffer from overt paranoia.

And once they're released from solitary,

the outside world can be too much for them.

There was a teenager at Rikers

named Kalief Browder.

He was accused of stealing a backpack.

We was held in solitary for almost two years,

and then his case was thrown out.

He never even went to trial

and still had to suffer through solitary.

And when he got out, his family said

that would hole up in his room for days.

He committed suicide.

Oh, my God. That poor kid.

Some prisoners are kept in solitary for decades.

Decades.

And then one day, shoved back into society,

often in worse mental shape than when they arrived.

Put all that together, and it's hard

to escape the conclusion that solitary confinement

should be considered a form of torture.

You're right.

You're right. I need to get out of here.

How do I get out of here...

All right, time's up. (door buzzes)

My favorite part

is how Caro exposes that Johnson's power

comes from his deep insecurities.

Ooh, we should start a book club.

Hey, how was solitary?

I learned it's an unbearably cruel form of punishment

that needs to be abolished. You taught me that.

You're right, but we've been here the whole time.

You guys weren't actually in there with me?

Nope! In fact, I've been here

getting a cool prison tattoo.

See?

Well, I am not going back!

(snaps fingers)

From now on, best behavior.

I'll use prison

as an opportunity to rehabilitate myself.

Yeah, I'll study, and I'll take classes,

and I'll get "swole" as hell... up here.

Well, that's not gonna be easy

since rehabilitation is now borderline impossible.

(Emily) Aah!

You owe me a new copy.

Of course. (whistling)

Ever wonder why treadmills are so un-fun?

Even the name sounds grueling: "treadmill."

Hmm, I hate running even when it's animated.

Well, it turns out treadmills were actually invented

as a form of punishment for prisoners.

(snaps fingers)

At least it's not ab day.

In 1818, British engineer William Cubitt

designed the first treadmill.

The "treadwheel," or "ever-lasting staircase,"

would often be used to grind grain or pump water.

And the target market for his new device was prisons.

Well, it's a torture chamber that uses the "tread"

of a human being to "mill" grain.

What should we call it?

Hmm, "cruel and unusual"?

How about "treadmill"?

Some prisoners would be made to climb

for 10 hours a day up to 12,000 feet.

That's about as high

as the Empire State Building every single day.

(gorilla roaring)

12,000 feet? Ha! That's easy.

Uh, guys... little help here?

In the end, the treadmill as punishment was abandoned

because the practice was seen as too cruel.

And now, we use it to torture ourselves at the gym.

So next time you hop on, just be glad

you'll be able to hop off whenever you want.

Okay, prison stinks.

But that's just if you don't have the right attitude.

I'm gonna be a model prisoner,

work hard, and come out ready to reenter society.

Rehabilitating folks should be

the goal of our prison system.

Too bad it actively does the opposite.

How do you plan to better yourself in here?

Through education! I've seen movies.

I'm gonna get my law degree while studying the classics

like Plato and "Ari-strudel."

Okay, what books we got?

"Larry Podder and the Gang Initiation"?

"How to Shiv Friends and Influence Cellmates"?

Okay, where are all the real books?

I feel like I'm being set up to fail.

That's because you are.

It's been years since your prison education fantasy

was a reality. Back in 1847,

Sing Sing's prison education program

had a curriculum that included reading,

writing, math, history, geography,

physiology, and even phys ed.

Well, great! Sign me up.

That was a long time ago.

Government budget cuts

have systematically eliminated any opportunity for people

to educate themselves while in prison.

In 1994, tough on crime was all the rage,

and American politicians hated the idea

that prisoners should get anything.

Bad guys getting Pell Grants?

No! They should be getting Hell... Ants!

Or something. I hate them!

(cheers and applause)

Since then we've gone from having

350 college degree programs

for prisoners across the country to just 12.

(crickets chirping)

And good luck getting into the programs that do exist.

The largest prison training program in the country

has a waiting list of 10,000 people.

Um, excuse me, how long have you been waiting here?

(spooky music cue) Aah!

And this is a real shame because studies show

that education is the easiest,

cheapest way to reduce recidivism.

Right now, 40% of federal prisoners

are back behind bars within just three years.

And instead of trying to reduce that number,

this system does everything in its power to make sure

that we end up back in here again.

Just ask Daryl Atkinson.

He's a lawyer and Second Chance Fellow

at the Justice Department. (snaps fingers)

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

Oh, man, Adam!

I was in the middle of closing arguments.

Sorry, Daryl. You're just so good

at explaining these things.

It's kind of what I do. Hey, Emily.

Hi!

In 1996, I was convicted of a first-time,

non-violent drug crime and sentenced

to ten years in prison.

I did my time, got out, got my education,

my law degree, and now here I am.

You accomplished all that after you were in the pokey?

You ever call it "the pokey"?

Yeah, I did, but it wasn't easy.

People who leave prison face a litany of barriers.

Their rights are stripped away

and it impacts every aspect of their daily lives.

They have no money, but they have to pay

for their own ankle monitors

and other fees associated with their incarceration.

When they apply for a job,

they have to check that box...

which immediately disqualifies them

from even being considered.

But finding a job is often

a requirement of their parole.

They can't find a place to live

because they're discriminated against by landlords.

They have no support for themselves

or support from society.

So, it's no wonder that people

keep coming back to prison.

Instead of truly rehabilitating people,

the system keeps setting them up to fail.

America is supposed to be the land of second chances,

but we continue to punish

millions of American citizens

again and again for things

that they paid their debt to society for.

It's just wrong.

Hey!

Are you teaching people stuff in here?

That's not allowed!

They're supposed to be sitting down

and doing nothing productive whatsoever.

You two are coming with me. Get up!

(Adam) Sorry, Daryl.

Your trial can wait, right?

Ugh, and you're a man.

I'm really not on the ball today.

You want to know my emotional backstory?

Here it is. You're a teacher.

My schooling sucked.

I was in and out of juvie as a kid.

When I grew up, juvie became prison.

When I got out, I tried my best to do right.

But I had no money and no one would hire me.

So, I started selling drugs again.

I'm so sorry.

Yeah, well, it's not just me.

60% of the prison population are people of color.

Black men are six times more likely

to be in prison than white men.

Whole communities are stuck in this cycle.

Two million Americans are in prison.

Two million of us are trapped in a system

that profits off of us being in here,

shove us in tiny boxes where we go insane,

and does everything it can to make sure

that we come back here.

So, you tell me...

what's the point of prison?

It honestly just seems like it's to get the people

that we're scared of as far away from us

as possible and then forget about them.

Bingo.

I don't know what to do.

I feel so helpless.

Welcome to the club.

But there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

But I'll tell you about that after the break.

We in prison. We got time.

67... 68... 69...

(chuckles) Nice.

70... 71... 72...

You gonna chill out ever?

Nope, system's broken. Got no future.

Gotta get ripped to kick the walls down.

(chuckles) That's dumb.

I don't know if you forgot,

but you're a pretty white lady

with no record who hasn't even

been convicted yet.

Yeah, but the system...

Is a system that we can work to change.

There are incremental steps

that we can take to make the system better.

Let me introduce you to Dorsey Nunn,

Executive Director of Legal Services

fro Prisoners With Children,

and founder of All of Us or None.

Hey, Emily, several decades after I got out of prison,

I helped initiate a campaign called "Ban the Box."

The box is that question

on the applications,

"Have you ever been convicted of a felony?"

And that box on this application,

it puts formerly incarcerated people

in a no-win situation.

Either they have to lie

and say they've never been convicted of a crime,

or they check that box and face discrimination

and never get call backs for interviews or jobs.

We're not asking companies to hire people

just because they've been to prison.

We ask them for our fair chance

to return to the community

and actually be a asset, instead of a liability.

(Daryl) This is a campaign that helps

our entire community by reducing recidivism

and keeping our neighborhoods safe,

something that everyone should be on board with.

Thanks, guys.

I'm totally on board. How can I help?

Well, when you get out of here,

you can search online for Ban the Box.

I mean, it's a start.

But if we really want to overhaul the system,

we need to eliminate mandatory minimums

and all of those harsh laws

that turn people into second-class citizens.

And we need to ban solitary.

Oh, yeah, that's a given.

Emily, we need your voice, we need your energy.

Use your privilege

for something that's meaningful.

Of course! I am gonna fight for all of this.

When I get out of here...

Oh! I forgot, you're free to go.

I'm sorry, the judge gave me

the note 30 minutes ago.

I'm just so caught up in this episode.

I hope Robb Stark has a fun wedding!

Emily, that's great.

I'm glad you get to go home.

But we gotta take off.

We got some other folks to go visit

and tell about the movement.

Congratulations. Thank you.

Yeah, I hope to see you out there, homegirl.

You will.

(sighing)

Well, Kendra...

I'll write, you know, or, I mean... I won't forget.

Um...

I'll do what I can... It's fine.

I'm happy for you.

Just go.

(buzzing)

Adam, you actually got me out?

Told ya we were working on it.

Hey, who's this "we"? Oh, sorry.

Emily, this is my sister, Rhea.

She's a lawyer.

A really good one, apparently.

Yeah, I just showed the judge

this episode of Adam's show

and he threw the case right out.

And she gave really constructive criticism

on act three. We should have spent

more time on fentanyl.

(Emily gasps) Murph!

(laughter)

Mwah!

I missed you so much! I missed you too!

I'm so glad everything worked out

and that I don't have to be Jason Biggs anymore,

because I really didn't want to get written off.

Yeah. Uh... oh, Rhea.

Thank you so much for everything.

Um, but, there's someone in there

who could really use your legal help.

Her name is Kendra Perkins

and she's in cell block 4B.

On it.

Man, we are both equally cool.

Miss Perkins, I've looked over everything

and I think we have a pretty good case.

Great! I just have one question.

Oh, shoot. Not for you.

For him.

Lyndon B. Johnson surrounded himself with father figures.

How much of that do you think

is because of his daddy issues?

Oh, well, he was obviously obsessed

with outdoing the success of his father.

Can we get back to work? Please?

Oh, sorry. Thank you.

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