California enslaves 400 prisoners to fight wildfires.
California enslaves 400 prisoners to fight wildfires.
The firefighters earn $5.80-$10.24 per day plus $1 an hour when responding to active emergencies, according to CDCR
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Fire camp is a program that most prisoners actually want to get into. They get to learn useful skills, the accommodations are better, and the prisoners there don't want to get removed from the program so they're unlikely to be violent. I have a friend who spent 3 years in that program and he greatly preferred it to the prison he transferred from.
And then when they get out they can't use those skills because their criminal record prevents fire departments from hiring them.
Cal-fire will hire them directly out of prison if they've completed the program.
Tolerable accommodations, learning skills that can be put to use on the outside, and no fear of violence should be some of the basics of a prison system. The fact that our prison system is so fucked that slavery seems like a better deal isn't a credit to slavery, it's evidence of a horrifically broken prison system.
Our prison system absolutely has some major flaws, but fire camp is what you said, tolerable conditions, the ability to learn job skills and work outside, and learn a skill. You can't guarantee safety from violence among violent people unless they are isolated, and that's a worse punishment than anything. What I'm saying is that your criticisms of the general prison system aren't applicable to fire camp, because it offers the things you mentioned.
Getting paid 50 cents an hour to get put in a life-threatening situation because the state doesn't want to hire firefighters, and would rather pay its prison population a pittance.
Are you under the impression that these prisoners are the only people fighting the fires in California? That is not the case, if that's your impression.
Good people don't make excuses to abuse human beings.
You're a bad person.
don't make excuses to abuse human beings
You realize that's not what you're replying to, right? That suggesting lots of people are fighting fires doesn't actually advocate for slavery; right?
Your quick condemnation was neat-o, though.
The post they're replying to is nitpicking. What difference does it make to this argument if only some of the firefighters are slaves? The point is that slave labor is being employed to avoid paying all the people fighting the fire a reasonable amount.
Always a little disturbing to see these comments. Cause every single time they are made I see phrases like "most prisoners" just straight up acknowledging that it's not all. Hand waving that away. Creepy.
Not to mention other things like, is it actually true that most prisoners would want to get put in a life threatening situation?
And why are we not acknowledging that the US regime gives prisoners these "choices": go outside and die for the state, work on our prison farms, get contracted out to private companies, or stare at a wall in a cell. Truly an evil empire that should not be apologized for.
It's worse. If the basic prisonfood is insufficient, which is common. prisoners need to work to buy more nutritional meals. Or they can risk getting sick and dying, whichever.
Well how would you suggest we deal with people who harm other people? If you can't put them in a cell, and you can't make them work, and you can't teach them to be wilderness firefighters and have them perform those duties, then what do you propose?
There aren't many countries that employ slave labor like the US. You think they're the rule but they're the exception. Just because the US enslaves their prisoners doesn't mean most other countries do too.
That's not an answer to the question at all, but okay.
That's avoiding the question and changing the subject though. I don't disagree with you on this point. But many of them do deserve to be there, my friend included, so how do you propose they're dealt with given the limitations you've placed on the system? What does your prison look like?
Edit: I just realized you're not the person who I was replying to originally, so I apologize for saying "you said".
Given your history, I have my doubts that your friend is real, and one doesn’t need a holistic crime reduction plan in order to be anti-slavery.
You know nothing about me, let alone "my history". That's also what I suspected, you have no proposed solutions, only complaints. You can't support your own argument, so instead you attacked me. I'm not pro-slavery, dufus, I'm acknowledging that fire camp is a good program for dealing with criminals, many of whom have hurt people and society, while also providing them with an opportunity to learn job skills, and work outside. For the record I'm opposed to the vast majority of the US prison system, especially the length of confinement.
For the record I’m opposed to the vast majority of the US prison system, especially the length of confinement.
That’s good to hear.
I don't presume to know the minds of every person. I do know that my friend was glad to get into the program, as was everyone else he told me about who was in it.
Then why do you need slavery?
Just let prisoners apply for jobs like sane countries
If you're not presuming that then why did you say most prisoners instead of just the one single one you claim to know?
Do you lack reading comprehension?
"as was everyone else he told me about who was in it"
So you're supposed friend told you about most of the prisoners in the program? What percentage precisely?
That just shows how bad the alternatives are.
Yes the alternatives suck. But are you aware that there's people who volunteer to be wilderness firefighters for free? Fire camp is a good program.
When was the last time you fought wildland fires for free?
