The inmate firefighters tackling the wildfires in Los Angeles

Hundreds of Californian prisoners have been deployed to help tackle the fires devastating the Los Angeles area.

With wildfires raging, causing at least 10 deaths, burning down thousands of buildings and prompting evacuation orders for nearly 180,000 residents, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has sent 783 imprisoned firefighters into the fray.

Long history

Reliance on prison labour in California is "almost as old as the state itself", said Smithsonian Magazine. In the 1850s San Quentin State Prison was built by inmates held on nearby ships and, in the early 1900s, road camps were "promoted as a path to reintegrating with society" by "instilling a work ethic and personal responsibility into convicts", said The Black Prisoners Project.

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Since the Second World War, California has "relied on a unique group of firefighters to battle its conflagrations", said Smithsonian – inmates. And although their numbers have "fluctuated over the years", they've often comprised as much as one-third of its firefighting force.

Time credits

This week incarcerated crews are embedded with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and its nearly 2,000 firefighters, who've been "stretched thin from several simultaneous emergencies", said The Guardian. The inmates' work has involved "cutting fire lines and removing fuel from behind structures to slow fire spread", said the CDCR.

California is one of at least 14 states that operates fire camps for incarcerated people to train to fight fires. Inmates are not guaranteed the state's minimum wage, and the work is not well paid: some put in 24-hour shifts for as little as $26.90.

But fire crews helping out during emergencies like this are offered "time credits" on "a two-for-one basis", said Business Insider, meaning that for "each day they serve on the crew", they receive "two additional days off their sentence".

Participation is voluntary and firefighters have "minimum custody" status. To qualify, inmates must have eight years or less left on their sentence, and certain convictions, including arson and sex offences, are disqualifying.

Validating and inspiring

Inmates have said they "appreciate higher wages and the opportunity to do meaningful work while serving their sentences", said The Guardian, but the jobs "can be taxing".

Some who attend fire camps find it "becomes a pathway to a life calling", said NPR. It has become an "alternative sentencing option" and "an opportunity to serve the public" as wildfires become "increasingly urgent".

Royal Ramey, co-founder and CEO of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program and himself a former inmate, told NPR that it helps inmates be seen as heroes who are contributing to a community. It's "powerful" and "inspiring", leaving you feeling "so validated".

The inmates "want to go out and support our communities and protect people and property", Amika Mota, who served with the fire camps from 2012 to 2015 while serving a sentence, told The Guardian. They "have a desire to take part" and are "walking into these horrible conditions proud to be there".