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56:. The mission of the Conservation Camp program is to "support state, local and federal government agencies as they respond to emergencies such as fires, floods, and other natural or manmade disasters." Over 3,000 incarcerated people work at the conservation camps each year, including men, women, and juveniles, all of whom have volunteered for the program. All volunteers receive the same entry-level training as CAL FIRE's seasonal firefighters.
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year working on conservation projects on public lands and community service projects. Fire crews clean up campgrounds, beaches and parks on city, county and state land and provide the labor for weed abatement and other projects that help reduce the risk of fires and other disasters." The report also stated that use of incarcerated labor in
Conservation Camps save the state more than $ 80 million annually.
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Conservation Camp died in a 1990 fire, and many crew members were injured. Three incarcerated firefighters died on the job in 2017 and 2018. In response to one media inquiry about conditions and pay, a CDCR spokesperson stated that firefighters earn $ 2.90 - $ 5.12 per day, with an additional $ 1 per hour when assigned to an active emergency.
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Per a CDCR news report, as of 2007 "Approximately 200 crews log an average of more than three million person hours a year fighting wildfires and responding to floods, earthquakes, and search and rescue missions. When not responding to emergencies, crews put in an additional seven million hours every
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in conjunction with either CAL FIRE or the Los
Angeles County Fire Department. Camps are structured as open dormitories, with dining and maintenance activities staffed by incarcerated people and supervised by correctional staff. The two active camps for women are Malibu Conservation Camp and Puerta
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Conservation camps received increased public scrutiny in the late 2000s after a series of damaging fires in the state, with concerns about the safety of incarcerated firefighters, their compensation, and their inability to become firefighters upon release. Two incarcerated firefighters at
Bautista
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from 1967 to 1975, before a resurgence in the 1980s emphasizing cost savings rather than rehabilitation. The first conservation camp for women was opened in 1983 with the conversion of the
Rainbow Conservation Camp from a men's camp to a women's camp. Per a 1990 pamphlet published by the CDCR, "As
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The program grew to 16 camps throughout
California in the 40s and 50s, including the first youth camps. In 1959, California Senate Bill 516 authorized expansion of the program, motivated by the comparatively cheap cost of housing and paying incarcerated laborer for firefighting and environmental
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signed
Assembly Bill 2147, which allows inmate firefighters to petition courts to dismiss their convictions after completing their sentences. This would provide a path for former prisoners to obtain EMT certification on release, a frequent requirement for hiring or advancement as a firefighter.
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Conservation camps are an evolution of "road camps" staffed by incarcerated people, first formally authorized by the
California state legislature in 1915 to build roads and railroads, respond to environmental issues, and participate in some types of agriculture. In response to firefighter labor
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tweeted "In
California, incarcerated people are risking their lives battling wildfires for $ 1/hour. Yet these same people are barred from firefighting after release. It's wrong. If you can save lives serving a sentence, you can save lives when you're released." The bill did not pass.
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programs, the belief that the program was effective at rehabilitation, and a desire to reduce overcrowding inside prisons. Between 1959 and 1966, the program grew to 42 camps staffed by 2,880 incarcerated people, or 8.7% of the prison population at that time.
654:"In California, incarcerated people are risking their lives battling wildfires for $ 1/hour. Yet these same people are barred from firefighting after release. It's wrong. If you can save lives serving a sentence, you can save lives when you're released"
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Mobile Fire
Kitchen Units, deployed to feed responders and displaced community members in emergencies like fires and earthquakes, are primarily staffed by incarcerated workers from conservation camps.
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CAL FIRE reported 3,500 incarcerated firefighters in its 2018-2019 staffing numbers, making incarcerated firefighters approximately 27% of the total firefighting capacity of the state.
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they repay their debt to society, camp inmates also provide a real economic benefit to local communities. In 1989 alone, camp inmates worked 5.5 million hours—a $ 43 million value".
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article about a bill to remove restrictions on formerly incarcerated firefighters becoming career firefighters upon release, 2020 presidential candidate
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shortages during World War II, the
Rainbow Conservation Camp was established as the first permanent fire camp, in 1946. It was modeled after
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Aerial view of Sierra Conservation Center, a California prison and one of the major training facilities for incarcerated firefighters
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428:"Prisons in the Wildlands: A Critical Look Into the Historical Development and Implications of California Conservation Camps"
395:"Prisons in the Wildlands: A Critical Look Into the Historical Development and Implications of California Conservation Camps"
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la Cruz. Most youth camps have been converted to camps for adult men, with one remaining youth camp at Pine Grove.
575:"Inmates Saved Homes in the Kincade Fire. They'll Face an Uphill Battle Getting Firefighting Jobs After Release"
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Incarcerated firefighters clear a fire line near Santa Barbara, California in December 2017
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television series in which a young convict volunteers for the Conservation Camp Program.
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Today, approximately 3,100 incarcerated people live and work out of 44 camps run by the
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627:"Bill would help California's inmate firefighters pursue career after release"
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708:"'Fire Country,' a new show about Cal Fire, is a hit. Just not with Cal Fire"
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523:. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from
463:. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from
288:. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Archived from
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548:"Rare Honors This Weekend for Inmate Firefighters Killed on the Job"
689:"California Bill Clears Path for Ex-Inmates to Become Firefighters"
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461:"CDCR's Inmate Firefighter Crews Gear Up for the 2007 Fire Season"
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California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
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Camp funding and therefore staffing declined under the
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California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
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California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
426:Kaelyn Frances Polick-Kirkpatrick (December 2019).
393:Kaelyn Frances Polick-Kirkpatrick (December 2019).
433:. University of Oregon. p. 36. Archived from
400:. University of Oregon. p. 29. Archived from
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44:(CDCR) runs 44 conservation camps (also called
519:Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
459:Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
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284:Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
151:Production and maintenance of firefighter gear
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16:California inmate disaster response program
346:"A History of Convict Labor in California"
629:. San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from
170:Programs vary by camp but often include:
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123:Work varies by camp but often includes:
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488:"CAL FIRE Mobile Kitchen Units (MKUs)"
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687:Romo, Vanessa (September 11, 2020).
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32:Incarcerated firefighters fight the
652:Julian Castro (October 28, 2019).
148:Museum construction and maintenance
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601:"Bill Text - AB-1211 Firefighters"
186:and college correspondence courses
145:Manufacturing of signs and plaques
54:Los Angeles County Fire Department
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706:Rogers, Nate (November 4, 2022).
166:Lumber processing and woodworking
749:Penal labor in the United States
625:Megan Cassidy (March 10, 2019).
521:"Bautista Conservation Camp #36"
265:Penal labor in the United States
127:Fire prevention (fuel reduction)
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203:Conservation camps in the news
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353:Southern California Quarterly
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84:Governorship of Ronald Reagan
23:California Conservation Corps
223:In September 2020, Governor
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311:CAL FIRE (September 2018).
286:"Conservation (Fire) Camps"
260:Incarceration in California
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73:Civilian Conservation Corps
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744:Penal system in California
739:Firefighting in California
605:leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
493:. CAL FIRE. Archived from
318:. CAL FIRE. Archived from
154:School grounds maintenance
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486:CAL FIRE (January 2008).
21:Not to be confused with
344:Ward M. McAfee (1990).
213:San Francisco Chronicle
577:. KQED. Archived from
550:. KQED. Archived from
313:"CAL FIRE at a Glance"
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255:Prisons in California
136:Conservation projects
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36:in California in 2013
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189:Faith-based services
175:Alcoholics Anonymous
133:Cemetery maintenance
179:Narcotics Anonymous
52:(CAL FIRE) and the
48:) jointly with the
232:In popular culture
163:Vegetation removal
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712:Los Angeles Times
664:on March 29, 2020
660:). Archived from
633:on March 29, 2020
581:on March 29, 2020
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527:on March 29, 2020
500:on March 29, 2020
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672:– via
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376:. Retrieved
359:(1): 19–40.
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327:. Retrieved
320:the original
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294:. Retrieved
290:the original
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238:Fire Country
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225:Gavin Newsom
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192:Hobby crafts
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717:November 9,
733:Categories
271:References
195:Visitation
46:fire camps
668:March 29,
637:March 29,
585:March 29,
558:March 29,
531:March 29,
504:March 29,
471:March 29,
444:March 29,
411:March 29,
378:March 29,
329:March 29,
296:March 29,
211:Citing a
610:July 31,
373:41171510
249:See also
95:Staffing
70:New Deal
34:Rim Fire
674:Twitter
75:camps.
63:History
371:
658:Tweet
498:(PDF)
491:(PDF)
438:(PDF)
431:(PDF)
405:(PDF)
398:(PDF)
369:JSTOR
349:(PDF)
323:(PDF)
316:(PDF)
243:drama
719:2022
670:2020
639:2020
612:2020
587:2020
560:2020
533:2020
506:2020
473:2020
446:2020
413:2020
380:2020
331:2020
298:2020
177:and
40:The
693:NPR
361:doi
184:GED
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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