synebluetoo:twiststreet:Well, when you put it that way… (X) Look I get this is fucked up but
synebluetoo:twiststreet:Well, when you put it that way… (X) Look I get this is fucked up but please don’t take away from this that prisoners firefighting is 100% bad. They ARE paid, and paid better than most prison jobs. They learn a valuable skill that can lead to a lucrative and stable career. While the work isn’t easy, it’s not as dangerous as you’d think, firefighters are a lot more safety conscious than most factory or construction jobs, I’d argue. And firefighters are a really supportive community which is super important when leaving prison. Should most of them be in prison? No. Should they be paid better? Yes. But calling it slave labor is probably something you can beat out in 100 other cases, especially when you look at states like Louisiana (that’s where the prison slave labor is!) You realize that many states forbid prison firefighters from getting a firefighting job after they were released from prison, right? They are learning skills, true, but many would never be able to use these skills after they are free citizens again. Many non-prisoner firefighters do NOT support them (the article I’ve linked below mentions that they’ve actively fought against legislation that would allow prisoners to get their records expunged so they can become firefighters upon their release). So your comment that the firefighting community is a “supportive community for prisoner firefighters” is not true. Also they only get paid at most $5 per DAY. Not per hour. Day. So basically, they’re used as cheap labor and then TOSSED ASIDE LIKE TRASH the minute they become un-useful (no longer a prisoner). Here is an article talking about it:https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article244286777.html#:~:text=The%20agency%20didn’t%20have,certification%20required%20to%20get%20hired.Luckily, it seems that California is attempting to make changes to their prison system, but it’s appalling that this is a thing that’s been happening. -- source link
#firefighters#california#nonfiction#prisoners#prison system