California’s century-old prisoner firefighter program is drawing new criticism as hundreds of incarcerated people have been deployed to fight deadly wildfires in the Greater Los Angeles area.
As of Thursday, 783 incarcerated firefighters were working around the clock to help slow the spread of massive fires as part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s firefighter program.
The state is one of at least a dozen that operate these fire camps and deploy incarcerated people to fight fires. Last year, California voters rejected Proposition 6a ballot initiative to ban involuntary labor in jails and prisons, which includes bringing in incarcerated people to help fight wildfires when there aren’t enough professionals to help. The proposal failed despite support from Democratic leaders, advocacy groups and labor unions.
Deadly fire conditions in Los Angeles have prompted California residents to criticize CDCR’s fire program for undercompensating prisoners who put themselves in harm’s way.
A significant number of “fire crews are incarcerated individuals,” some of whom “do not even have access to firefighting employment upon release.” someone wrote about.
Another added that incarcerated firefighters “are trained and have choices, but are paid a pittance” and are likely to be injured while on duty.
The program pays prisoners up to $10.24 per day with the option to earn more during an active emergency, according to the CDCR.
To be eligible for the arson program, prisoners must be deemed physically and mentally fit, they must be serving a sentence of eight years or less and they cannot have convictions such as arson or sexual battery, according to the CDCR. By working through the program, you can earn time off for each day you spend on a fire crew, and some prison employees can have their records expunged. Some critics have said the program is exploitative because incarcerated firefighters must choose between reduced sentences or risk their lives.
A CDCR spokesperson confirmed in a statement the number of incarcerated firefighters and said the workers “are proud to be part of CAL FIRE’s workforce to protect lives, property and natural resources in Southern California.”
At least 24 people have died in the destructive wildfires and around 180,000 people have been forced from their homes. authorities said. Strong winds and dry conditions fueled the fires which swept 40,000 acres in the Greater Los Angeles area and destroyed entire communities and more than 12,300 structures.
The program began in 1915, with the state regularly calling on incarcerated people to fill staffing gaps.
Lori Wilson, the California Assembly member who spearheaded Proposition 6, said she has spoken with incarcerated people who say many love their jobs as firefighters, but wish they were paid more .
“They find it really rewarding and rewarding,” Wilson told NBC News. “It’s something they’re extremely proud of.” We are fighting for additional wages and to be fairly compensated. Not only with adequate wages, but also, once they leave incarceration, they can use this service for a new job.
“There is an imbalance there that needs to be resolved,” she said.
A 2022 Report of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Global Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago found that prisoners, who received little or no pay, produced more than $2 billion in goods and merchandise annually.
“When you’re put in a position of extreme oppression and exploitation, it’s like having the opportunity to be outside rather than being in a concrete cage with iron bars. People will accept it,” said George Galvis, co-founder and executive director of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, an organization that fights youth incarceration and criminalization.
“So you could say it’s a voluntary program, but there’s not really a lot of choice when you’re not given a lot of choice. It’s exploitative,” Galvis said.
Matthew Hahn, who spent nine years in prison, wrote in an article essay for the Washington Post in 2021, that the criticism against fire camps is justified, but that doing this dangerous work “was better than being in prison”. He added that some prisoners often dream of joining a firefighting program.
“Conditions in California prisons are so terrible that fighting wildfires is a rational choice. It’s probably also the safest choice,” he wrote.
Hasan Pikera popular left-wing streamer who has amassed a large following on social media as a political creator, uploaded a video On Sunday, I speak with incarcerated firefighters in California. His video only furthered the online conversation about fire programs.
“We are the backbone of the operation,” one man told Piker. “We go out there and do the hard work. … We have the tough, tough end of the stick.
Another man, who identified himself as “Kimbo,” said he was part of the Growlersburg Conservation Camp in Georgetown, California. He said he made about $5 a day, averaged $180 a month and often worked around the clock.
He said he and his team worked with hand tools: “We are foot soldiers. We scrape brush, we use chainsaws,” he said.
“It takes hours and hours. We go where bulldozers can’t reach. We are entering tight spaces, very steep, where a bulldozer would fall if it tried to get up there,” he said, adding that workers endure heavy manual labor for very low pay. “It’s dangerous. I sometimes have to avoid rocks.
Like Hahn, Kimbo said the job may be dangerous, but it’s better than the alternative. “It’s much better than” being in prison, he said. “I was in the prison yard, I saw guys getting stabbed, getting jumped, getting beaten up. The cops treat us like assholes. But here we get better treatment. They talk to us like humans. We have a job. We are underpaid, but we have a job.
Camp officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the firefighters’ conditions.
They can apply to work for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire, after their release, according to CDCR. “But then they struggle with background checks and things of that nature,” Wilson said. “There are still many obstacles preventing them from being able to fully utilize these resources. »
