Fighting Fires With Prison Inmates

By TChris, Section Inmates and Prisons
Posted on Sat Oct 28, 2006 at 01:02:13 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)

Share This: Digg!

Dozens of prison inmates helped fight two fires in Napa Valley this week. One of them suffered respiratory problems as the result of his heroic work. California inmates are also helping firefighters battle a raging fire in Riverside County.

Work release programs (common in jails, less so in prisons) are a useful way to help prisoners remain integrated with society, and inmates who are typically bored out of their minds might relish any opportunity to avoid the mundane life that prisons offer. It's tempting to wonder whether California allows inmates to do this dangerous work because it attaches little value to their lives, but it's reassuring to know that the inmates at least receive training in firefighting before they're put to work.

California's motivation for the program appears to be related less to rehabilitation than to a shortage of California firefighters. Given the overcrowding in California's prisons, the state should consider an early release program for inmate firefighters who prove their value to society -- and communities should commit to hiring them after their release.

< The Power of Negative Branding: Carville Gets It on Webb | A Vote For Lieberman Is a Vote For Bush's Iraq Debacle And Stay The Course >

Legal

Nothing on this site should be construed as legal advice. TalkLeft does not give legal advice.

TalkLeft is not responsible for and often disagrees with material posted in the comments section. Read at your own risk.

Fighting Fires With Prison Inmates | 11 comments (11 topical)

Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

The sensible solution (none / 0) (#1)
by HK on Sat Oct 28, 2006 at 02:06:33 PM EST

This of course would be a practical, effective and workable answer to the acute overcrowding in Californian prisons. It would also address the reoffending problem, giving former inmates not just a job but a sense of worth. Society would benefit massively too, with a double whammy in increased safety (less crime, more firefighters) and less of their tax dollars would go towards building more prisons.

So, a win-win situation. What are the chances, do you think, of Schwarzenegger formulating and carrying out such a plan...?

As far as I'm aware (none / 0) (#2)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Oct 28, 2006 at 03:12:29 PM EST

there is a loooong waiting list in CA for folks who wish to become city and/or county firefighters. Interesting work, lifetime employment, great retirement bennies, blah blah blah.

Are you suggesting these ex-cons get preferential treatment by getting put at the front of the line ahead of the low-abiding citizens?

Or that they just get automatically hired by the fire departments (which exist soley at taxpayer expense, of course) whether or not there are any actual vacancies at the firestations, iow, whether or not they're actually needed?

Now, if you're suggesting these guys be hired by the forest service, or whoever generally fights the big wildfires, I don't know enough about those services to comment.

Although I would think that if they were hired by forest-service type orgs, they'd almost have to move far away from the 'hood/family/friends/etc that were a part, anyway, of the environment that led to their incarceration in the first place, so I'd think that would benefit society.

It'd be nice, though, if they would just get up and go and apply to these services like everyone else does, instead of there being another gvt program...

: Gvt programs are not the root of all evil! (none / 0) (#5)
by HK on Sat Oct 28, 2006 at 04:06:59 PM EST

It'd be nice, though, if they would just get up and go and apply to these services like everyone else does, instead of there being another gvt program...
It would be nice if there was no crime, or illness, or poverty...sadly, there is, and so we have to deal with it.
Being a law-abiding citizen is not a disclaimer. We cannot wash our hands of the wrongs in the world and say, "Well, I don't commit crime, so I've done my bit." It's just not enough - sad but true. We have to actively rectify the situation, help peole lead productive lives, and if more government programs help to do this by assisting ex-cons in taking the first step towards being responsible for their own future, then they deserve the support of everyone who wants to live in a more pleasant environment.
We all have a moral responsibility to make society better.

They've been doing it for a while... (none / 0) (#3)
by svolich on Sat Oct 28, 2006 at 03:14:05 PM EST

My dad was a California Department of Forestry worker in the early 60's, they had low risk prisoners fighting fires then. I don't know when it was started, but it wasn't new. And that was under Pat Brown.

Qui bono? (none / 0) (#4)
by roxtar on Sat Oct 28, 2006 at 03:27:56 PM EST

Call me a skeptic, but I don't believe for a minute that this is intended to benefit the inmate. If an inmate is willing to put his life on the line to protect other people's lives and property, there should be some quid pro quo. And it should be more than "this will really look good to the parole board."

Wrong again...and again...and again.. (none / 0) (#6)
by Patrick on Sat Oct 28, 2006 at 04:28:13 PM EST

Once again t-chris gets it wrong. CDC/CDF camps in California are not work release. They are sentences for convicted inmates. The Quid pro quo is they get a minimum security/maximum freedom camp to do their time and they have to work hard to do it. They are all low level/low risk offenders and had to apply and be selected to go to a camp. They also can get rolled up for any infraction of camp rules and wind up back in the main line. He gets it wrong so often in these cases, one wonders when he's actually right. Perhaps he should leave out his two cents worth and stick to reporting facts..Especially when it comes to law and order issues...Although one would suspect an attorney would get it right once in a while.

I guess I misunderstood, Patrick. (none / 0) (#7)
by roxtar on Sat Oct 28, 2006 at 06:03:18 PM EST

This from a Grand Jury Report on the CDC/CDF Camps in Mendocino County:

Assignment to a conservation camp is a hard-won privilege. Inmates are screened
carefully using a sophisticated system to identify and weigh personal aspects of
their background to determine a potential for camp placement. To qualify they
must be minimum security risks, physically fit, and have no history of violent
crimes. After being accepted for camp, inmates undergo a vigorous two-week
physical fitness training program and they are trained in fire safety and suppression
techniques. During the training, they are also evaluated for overall suitability to
continue the program. The average sentence in the camps is one year. Inmates who
are screened out are sent back to State prison.

Sounds to me like a fairly creative application of corrections, as opposed to the typical "one size fits all" warehousing you see most places. I retract my above remarks.

Sorry (none / 0) (#8)
by Patrick on Sat Oct 28, 2006 at 10:11:47 PM EST

Sorry if it sounded like I was giving you the business. I wasn't, your question was valid. Even more so given the tone and innuendo the author uses to frame his "points."


Prison work camps are not new. (none / 0) (#9)
by JSN on Sun Oct 29, 2006 at 07:56:19 AM EST

The idea of keeping low risk first time offenders in a separate facility away from hardened criminals is not a new idea. The main problem is when a prison system becomes badly overcrowded they will use any bed that is available. Then you have a mixture of low and moderate risk and firstime and repeat offenders in the camps and the bad apples spoil the barrel.

The other point is that if the prison system is overcrowded they do not send people who commit minor infractions back to the main prison system.


: Minor infractions (none / 0) (#10)
by Patrick on Sun Oct 29, 2006 at 10:31:52 AM EST

Well of course it's not "Zero tolerance" but I've seen whole camps rolled up. There's a waiting list for camps...One leaves, the person who takes their place leaves an open bed.

I like it (none / 0) (#11)
by kdog on Mon Oct 30, 2006 at 11:45:50 AM EST

Regardless if Cali's intentions are altruistic or penny-pinching on firefighters...I think this is a great opportunity for prisoners to redeem themselves and repay society for their crimes...instead of wasting away in a cell helping no one.

I hope the prisoners are rewarded at parole hearing time...or even given clemency if the circumstances dictate.