The Los Angeles-based Anti-Recidivism Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to ending mass incarceration, started a fundraiser on Friday to support the fire crews of California’s prisons.
www.latimes.com
As much as 30% of the firefighters force in California may be prison inmates, according to reports. How did we get here? And what's the best path forward?
www.forbes.com
To be honest, I think putting low risk prisoners to work in any way to help the community is a good idea. In theory. I DO think they should be paid, yes, depending on the job they do, BUT that pay is instantly broken up into sections: pay off legal fees, pay off any fines restitution, THEN personal pay. A prisoner is a prisoner for a reason but they shouldn't just sit in a cell either. Whether they work on the prison grounds or out in the community, it shouldn't matter.
That said.
Anyone who is medium risk should work in prison only and LESS of their 'pay' would go to them; instead it would go to paying off fees, fines and restitution.
High risk will remain as they are.
On top of it all, low and medium do have the choice of not working, BUT if they don't work, that reflects on their record so when they do get out, people see that. Of course it also goes hand in hand with any education they get too.
And if they DO choose to do stuff like this and better themselves, then for fucks sake reflect that too. With Trump being a felon and now President, there is NO MORE excuse to not hire 'felons' for any position (and I really do hope that someone does challenge that bias after this point).
Those guys in the video? They shouldn't be looked down on for risking their lives to do something good with their life if they've fucked up but are willing to work to change.
