California prisoner firefighter program draws harsh criticism amid L.A. wildfires

California’s century-old prisoner firefighter program is drawing fresh criticism as hundreds of incarcerated people have been deployed to fight the deadly wildfires in the Greater Los Angeles area. 

As of Thursday, 783 incarcerated firefighters were working around the clock to help slow the spread of the massive blazes as part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Fire Camp Program.

The state is one of at least a dozen that operate these fire camps and deploy incarcerated people to fight fires. Last year, California voters rejected Proposition 6, a ballot initiative to ban involuntary labor in prisons and jails, which includes bringing incarcerated people in to help fight wildfires when there are not enough professionals to help. The proposition failed despite having the support of Democratic leaders, advocacy groups and labor unions.