John Oliver Decries U.S. Criminal Justice System for ‘Cooking Prisoners to Death’ in Summer Heat

John Oliver promised his viewers some “summer fun” on Sunday night, only to remind them that he’s not one to dive into amusing topics.

“We’re going to talk about prisons: There are tons of them in America, and when they get too hot, it can be a real problem,” Oliver said on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, adding, “Don’t be mad at me, be mad at yourself — you chose to be here.”

The host went on to highlight the conditions that United States prisoners live through amid the summer, focusing on the lack of air conditioning in facilities in some of the hottest areas in the nation.

“This situation is so bad the U.N. Committee Against Torture has expressed particular concern about deaths from extreme heat exposure in prison facilities in Texas,” Oliver noted. “And while you probably assumed Texas prisons were bad, maybe not ‘International Human Rights Watch List’ bad.”

Oliver revealed that 75 percent of prisons in Texas lack air conditioning, resulting in an indoor heat index of 150 degrees in the summer.

The host went on to reveal that certain prisons in Texas installed air conditioning in their in-house pigpens, yet not in buildings containing inmates.

“Look, I’m not against pigs getting treated comfortably. I love pigs, their springy tails, their two big ears, their stupid, flat noses, and their horrible eyes,” Oliver said. “Pigs are like big, chubby dogs you can eat at Christmas. I just question prioritizing their comfort over humans.”

Oliver concluded by pointing to just how simple the solution to this problem is.

“Prisons need air-conditioning, so put air-conditioning in. That’s it!” he said. “I know this show has trained you to anticipate nuance, but this one is actually pretty straightforward. We shouldn’t be cooking prisoners to death, the end. That’s just not something we should be allowing under any circumstances.”

Watch above, via YouTube.