#Roommates, let’s talk. The state of California is using prison labor to fight multiple record-breaking wildfires burning statewide. According to The San Fransisco Chronicle, the inmates are earning an average of $2 per day and $1 per hour when they are fighting active fires.
While some people are saying this is a good gig for the inmates (they get to earn some money and time off of their sentences for good behavior), others are comparing this back-straining work to slave labor. Why? Well, because salaried firefighters earn an average of $74,000 a year plus benefits, and critics are arguing that the inmates deserve a reasonable wage since this is dangerous work and they’re risking their lives.
“It’s not something that they’re forced to do,” Cal Fire spokeswoman Lynne Tolmachoff said, adding it gives many a sense of purpose. “With a lot of the guys we’ve spoken to, they feel like they’re giving back to the state, helping in that way,” she added.
What do y’all think?
