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California’s Firefighting Prisoners in Short Supply
Loaded on Jan. 8, 2020
by Matthew Clarke
published in Prison Legal News
January, 2020, page 24
Filed under:
Prison Labor.
Location:
California.
by Matt Clarke
California has a history of using prisoners to fight wildfires that dates back to World War II. But that practice is being questioned after 2018 was one of the worst fire seasons ever recorded, and several prisoners were seriously injured fighting the infamous Camp Fire.
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Ohio Supreme Court Orders Prison Official to Produce Public Records, by Matthew Clarke
- Preliminary Injunction Sought Over Contaminated Drinking Water at Connecticut Prison, by Edward Lyon
- Former Seventh Circuit Judge Posner Founds Short-Lived Project to Help Pro Se Litigants, by Kevin Bliss
- Undiagnosed MRSA Forced Arizona Prisoner to Have Heart Surgery, by Chad Marks
- California Family Mourns Son Who Committed Suicide in Jail, Receives $1.65 Million Settlement, by Edward Lyon
- Wisconsin Pays Another $5 Million for Abuse at Controversial Juvenile Facility, by Kevin Bliss
- Oklahoma Breaks Pattern of Protracted, Expensive Prison Conditions Litigation, by Edward Lyon
- Jury Awards Oregon Prisoner $350,000 After Guard Announces He Was a “PC” Case, by Dale Chappell
- Deaf Oregon Prisoner Awarded $125,000 for Jail’s Failure to Accommodate Disability, by Mark Wilson
- Denver Settles Female Deputies’ Sexual Harassment Lawsuit for $1.55 Million, by Matthew Clarke
- First-Class Mail Insufficient for Mailing Date to be Filing Date in Oregon, by Mark Wilson
- New Georgia Law Provides Protections for Pregnant Prisoners, by David M. Reutter
- Prisoner Co-payments for Health Care Services Eliminated in California, by Chad Marks
- Deaths at Georgia Jail Spur Investigations, Lawsuit, by Edward Lyon
- Oklahomans Pay for Release of Woman Whose Case Helped Start Marijuana Reform Movement, by Matthew Clarke
- Criminal Justice Reformers Apologize for Not Vetting Conference Speaker, by David M. Reutter
- Missouri County Votes to Eliminate Jail Fees, Wiping Out $3.4 Million in Debt for Former Prisoners, by Douglas Ankney
- California Jail Prisoner’s Broken Leg Nets $550,000 Settlement, by Matthew Clarke
- First Major Loss in Recent Challenges to Hep C Treatment for Prisoners, by David M. Reutter
- Securus Technologies Rebrands as Aventiv, by Kevin Bliss
- Rikers Prisoner Smuggles DNA Evidence of Rape Out of Jail; $500,000 Settlement, by Dale Chappell
- New York Court of Claims Orders DOCCS to Turn Over OSI Report, Guards’ Personnel Files, by Dale Chappell
- Rhode Island’s Civil Death Law Bars Prisoners from Filing Lawsuits in State Court, by Dale Chappell
- New York Closes Two More Prisons, Scaring Corrections Workers, by Kevin Bliss
- Government Wants Federal Prisoner’s $250,000 Settlement to Pay Restitution, by Dale Chappell
- Billionaire and Co-Defendant Agree to Donate $1 Million to Stay Out of Jail, by Kevin Bliss
- Missing Property and Overtime Abuse in Illinois Prisons Cost Taxpayers Millions, by Dale Chappell
- Oregon Prisoner’s Preventable Death Reveals Culture of Systemic Indifference, by Mark Wilson
- Lawsuit Filed by Prisoner with Food Allergy is Dismissed, by David M. Reutter
- San Diego County Jails Still No. 1 in Prisoner Deaths, by Douglas Ankney
- Felony Murder Charges Should Not be Used on Juveniles, by Kevin Bliss
- Genesco CEO Denied Term on CoreCivic’s Board of Directors, but Board Refuses His Resignation, by Scott Grammer
- Prisoners, Guards, Students Protest Aramark, by Douglas Ankney
- Pennsylvania Prisoner Given Belt, Then Punished for Having It, by David M. Reutter
- Fifth Circuit Reverses Denial of Qualified Immunity to Prison Officials, by Edward Lyon
- New Mexico: Third-Party Settlement Agreements Resulting from Medical Care Provided by Corizon are Public Documents Subject to Disclosure, by Douglas Ankney
- California AB Prison Gang Members, Others Indicted by Feds
- HRDC Obtains Settlement, $16,000 in Fees and Costs, Against BOP in FOIA Case, by Scott Grammer
- How a 13th Amendment Loophole Created America’s Carceral State, by Flores A. Forbes
- Texas Convict-Leasing Burial Ground Uncovered, by Matthew Clarke
- Tennessee Prisoner Captured After Killing Prison Employee, Escaping, by David M. Reutter
- Florida Women’s Prison Under Scrutiny After Rape by Guard, by David M. Reutter
- California’s Firefighting Prisoners in Short Supply, by Matthew Clarke
- Arizona Court Equates Prison Gang Dropouts with Confidential Informants to Require Redaction of STG Files, by Dale Chappell
- Oregon Passes Historic Juvenile Justice Reform Bill but Refuses to Apply it Retroactively, by Mark Wilson
- South Carolina Prison Industries Employee Fired for Writing Tell-All Book, by Scott Grammer
- Are Re-Enfranchised Florida Felons More Likely to Vote Republican?, by David M. Reutter
- Virginia Circuit Court Awards $197.55 to Prisoner in Property Tort Claim, by Douglas Ankney
- Lawsuit Alleging Denial of Warmth and Sufficient Sleep States Eighth Amendment Claim, by David M. Reutter
- New York District Court Erred in Applying “Three Strike” Rule to Dismissals, by Kevin Bliss
- PLN Prevails in Censorship Suit Against Virginia Jail, by David M. Reutter
- Death Penalty Prosecution in Colorado Costs State Over $1.6 Million, Ends in Life Sentence, by Matthew Clarke
- Private Prison in Pennsylvania Takes Heat; Prison Board Replaced, Superintendent Retires, by David M. Reutter
- In Oklahoma, Lawsuit Options Limited When Prisoners Claim Constitutional Rights Violations, by Quinton Chandler
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- $525,000 Settlement in Minnesota Jail Excessive Force Incident, by Jayson Hawkins
- California Prison Rehabilitation Programs Costly and Ineffective, by Kevin Bliss
- The Other Family Separation: Prisoners Fight to Keep Their Children, by Victoria Law
More from Matthew Clarke:
- CoreCivic’s Long Record of Abuse and Neglect in Tennessee, June 1, 2026
- Federal Court Grants HRDC Preliminary Injunction Against Mail Censorship at New Mexico Jail, May 1, 2026
- Faced with Record-Breaking Jail Deaths, L.A. County Supervisors Tell Sheriff’s Department to Improve Access to Naloxone, Camera Monitoring, and Security Checks at California Jail, May 1, 2026
- Federal Court Places Medical Care in Arizona Prisons Under Receivership, May 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026
- Texas Moves to Restrict Cashless Bond and Reverse Federal Court-Ordered Misdemeanor Bail Reform, May 1, 2026
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, April 1, 2026
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, April 1, 2026
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, April 1, 2026
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, April 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Constitutional Challenge to Louisiana Prison “Farm Line” Granted Class Certification, March 1, 2026. Prison Labor, Exposure to Heat, Injunctions (PLRA), Class Certification, Americans with Disabilities Act.
- Incarcerated Women Featured in True Crime Media Face Flood of Sexual Harassment, March 1, 2026. Sexual Harassment, Prison Labor, Hygiene Supplies, Mail, TV/Movies.
- Missouri Prisoners Forced to Shovel Snow in Subzero Temperatures, Feb. 1, 2026. Retaliatory Segregation, Prison Labor, Work Conditions/Safety, Exposure to Cold, Administrative Detention/Segregation.
- Labor Coalition in Minnesota Demands Disney Contractor Pay Prisoners Minimum Wage, Jan. 1, 2026. Prison Industries, Prison Labor, Advocacy, Contractor Liability, jobs.
- Wisconsin DOC Is Not Tracking Work Release Data, Jan. 1, 2026. Work Release, Prison Labor, Statistics/Trends, Fair Labor Standards Act.
- How I Learned to Transcribe Braille in Prison, Jan. 1, 2026. Prison Labor, Education, Rehabilitation/Recidivism, jobs.
- Hyundai and Kia Sued in California for Use of Prison Labor in Southern States, Dec. 1, 2025. Work Release, Prison Labor, Work Conditions/Safety, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
- Federal Government, CoreCivic Slow-Walk Class-Action Challenges to Forced Labor of ICE Detainees, Nov. 1, 2025. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Prison Labor, Class Certification, Class Notice, Sovereign Immunity, Immigration Detention.
- California Approves Higher Wage for Prisoner Firefighters (But Still Underpays), Nov. 1, 2025. Work Release, Prison Labor, Injury -- Misc., Rehabilitation/Recidivism, Good Time.
- Hyundai Parts Supplier Stops Using Prison Slave Labor in Alabama, July 15, 2025. Work Release, Prison Labor, Work Conditions/Safety, Workers' Compensation.

