One of the prisoners said: “It felt like you were doing something that mattered instead of rotting away in a cell."

It helps with their self esteem, confidence and gives them job experience and good references in the future.
The experience will impress others, including employers.

They are doing really important work, risking their lives for the citizens of California.

it's all voluntary and gives those inmates a valuable job skill when they're released.
These inmate firefighters can quit at any time they want so don't call it slave labor, that's disrespectful towards those putting their lives on the line to help their fellow humans.

How much are they getting paid?

And - of course I'm sure you would be okay with them working in a daycare, bank, or Fed Gov when they are released. Right?

I would. I work for a company that supplies valves for patriot missiles. These folks should no longer be barred from working in Accounting. They should also be eligible for a Customs Broker's License.

Watch - in a few years we'll hear how none of these folks have been able to obtain gainful employment with a twist of "health issues" from fighting these fires.

America will never stop America'ing.

They're at the fire camps because they want to be there, not because they're forced to be there and many released inmate firefighters go on to be wildland firefighters with either state or federal firefighting organizations.

Slave labor would be if they were forced to fight these fires against their will, so it is demeaning and disrespectful to call it slave labor.

worked as a firefighter for CalFire for many years in northern CA. At some point he became a captain and the last three years he worked he was in charge of some of the firefighters that were prisoners. No prisoners were forced to become a firefighter.

and he's told me that the inmate firefighters he worked alongside of were some of the best he'd ever seen.

Slavery By Any Other Name - Douglas Blackmon.

The 13th - Ava Duvernay on Netflix if you aren't a reader.


Are you aware of the injustice system for Black Americans in AmeriKKKa?


I'm not in the sunken place, I know how this works, and I know that they are getting free labor from Black Women & Men.

Dollars to donuts they shouldn't be imprisoned in the first place. But - AmeriKKKa will always AmeriKKKa.

I didn't miss anything and Lo and Behold, there is no mention of race anywhere in there, so are you talking about?

Your post makes zero sense in relation to the thread, but I guess some just have to toss the race card.