iamhisgloriouspurpose:writernotwaiting: twiststreet:Well, when you put it that way… (X) And t

iamhisgloriouspurpose:

writernotwaiting:

twiststreet:

Well,when you put it that way… (X)

And they can’t hire the ex-prison slaves because their conviction records make them ineligible to be hired by professional fire squads.

One of my colleagues spent part of his prison term fighting fires, and almost died because they were sent into an area where the fire was supposedly out. But no, they could not hire him when he was released on parole in 1994, even though he had the skills required.

California law finally changed in 2020. Except for those convicted of violent felonies or sexual assault, the inmate firefighters are eligible to go through additional training to join fire crews as employees. They also have their records expunged and can skip parole.

But yes, the fact that we still rely on “inmate labor” is appalling.