Gavin Newsom signs bill changing path to employment after prison.
On Sept. 11, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2147 to allow more options for inmates to take steps towards beginning a career as a firefighter. The bill will speed up the entire process of petitioning and expunging their records and applying for an emergency medical technician’s license.
Since 1915, California has implemented rules and regulations from The Conservation Program for different forms of humanitarian relief. Originally the program was designed to, “Provide able-bodied inmates the opportunity to work on meaningful projects throughout the state,” said the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation website.
Although the position is volunteer-based, The Los Angeles Times reports that the inmates are paid between 2-5 dollars, adding another dollar to each hour spent on the fire frontline. The current minimum wage in California is 12 dollars.
Cal Fire reports that there are 17 thousand firefighters on the frontlines in California right now. Because of the Conservation Program, alongside the firefighters are prison inmates who are identifiable by wearing orange fire uniforms. These inmates were trained within their facility and then sent to the frontlines in the Conservation Program. However, when they try to become an official employee of Cal Fire after being released from prison, they are denied because of previous criminal charges.
“Signing this law is about giving second chances. To correct is to right a wrong; to rehabilitate is to restore,” said Assemblymember Eloise Gomez Reyes, founder of the bill.
There are limitations to the bill depending on the crime the inmates were convicted for. Among other requirements, the bill states a list of convicted crimes that automatically makes some inmates ineligible following the process of AB 2147. Some of those crimes include murder, kidnapping and any sex offense. But if the individual passes this section, then they petition to the court and follow the legal proceedings to receive a dismissal and relief.
However, there is controversy surrounding this decision due to Governor Newsom’s early release program, which sent some inmates home to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
Governor Newsom’s earlier decision caused a shortage of inmate firefighters during a time where California is in a declared state emergency. The Conservation Program that regulates the inmates’ work now has roughly 600 less people fighting fires.