California Uses Prison Labor to Fight Fires

[watamatafoyu]

It's one thing to have firefighters volunteer from prison, it's another to inadequately equip and train them.

[inreallife]

When you look at laws like this it becomes increasingly obvious that the legal system is designed to keep criminals committing crimes

[Steven-T]

Volunteer firefighter from the East coast here:
To put that "three weeks" into perspective, that's *HALF* as much time spent training as we get (assuming the same 5 day, 8 hour schedule).

My county's current fire academy entry-level course (Firefighter 1) is 6 weeks, 5 days a week, 8 hours a day. (career departments go to the same academy)
Forestry training is probably a little different since I don't think there's hazmat training involved. But that's still *HALF THE TRAINING TIME*.
If you train half baked, you'll get fully cooked in reality. Absolutely getting set up for failure.

[andycanfixit]

My older adopted brother who spent time in prison for theft ended up on fire crews several times, basically has ptsd from the experience and can't stand going into a woodland area. The conditions he described were pretty harsh, he did this in the 90's. Not sure what it's like today vs then.

[ev.c]

Bro, this country never stops surprising me. It’s like it’s completely stuck in 1800 in so many aspects. I have no idea why it is called a developed nation.

[Adonna]

Actually it's $2.90-5 an hour and California voters have rejected a measure on the November ballot that would have amended the state constitution to ban forced prison labor. So yeah, screw them.

[Kairat_Tech]

When you want to change your life but nothing lets you actually do it. Next years are going to be not the best for humanity.

[child_of_hades]

the fact you can become president with 34 felonies but not a firefighter with 2 is INSANE

[JoeBarrow]

Forcing prisoners is one thing. What bothers me is not hiring them as a firefighter after they served there time. If a person can or forced to risk there life. Then they more than deserve a chance to work as a firefighter.

[laurice]

She forgot to mention that the prisoners salary is severely reduced by taxes and fees taken out from their gross income.

So if they’re being paid $6 / hr. then their net paycheck may amount to $3 or less per hour. 😒💸

[tybes]

If they can't do it for a normal wage after coming out of prison, they shouldnt be forced to do it for a measly wage while in prison.

[cheezykrafts]

You forgot to mention that the inmates get extra time served for helping fight fires. One day off work equals 2 days of their sentence. That's a pretty good incentive. They don't need to expunge the felony, just create a law that will allow these folks to become firefighters since they are already trained on the hard labor part like trench digging.

[Bojeezy]

We should be thanking these incarcerated inmates also for helping fight these insane fires in California.

[laurenalexander]

We need an amendment to ACTUALLY ban slavery. Christ

[lephtovermeet]

This is one I have mixed feelings on. Seems like a good idea but a terrible implementation. It's not a forced program, many who have participated said it gave them a sense of pride and self worth and even helped rehabilitate them. And it's not a consistent full time job with an available workforce (at least it didn't used to be) - there's simply not enough volunteers or available seasonal workers. But it should be illegal to pay under minimum in all circumstances and, there should be some form of mandatory hazard pay for all hazardous jobs, and them not being able to be eligible to be firefighters after they're rehabilited us BS.

[Well_Edumacated]

the fact that people who live if California don't know this is HILARIOUS. i don't live in California and i've known this. there has been a few documentaries and news stories about this practice which has been going on for a very long time. a lot of those prisoners do it with the hopes of becoming a firefighter when they get out but they get denied.

[Amethyst]

Prison should be about 1. protecting victims, 2. rehabbing and reeducating law breakers, and 3. keeping the ones who cannot safely reenter society in prison for life.

[sylvieblanchard-xf]

Maybe not but they can be President of the U.S.!

[tylerspeegle]

It's sad when the incarcerated do more work in a day than every ceo does yearly combined

[childlikesaiyan]

There is no moral reason for a title like this to exist, my lord