California’s Conservation Camp Program: Balancing benefits and human rights
By Violet Boyd
Since 2024, California wildfires have burned 57,687 acres, destroyed more than 18,000 structures, and killed 29 people. Incarcerated volunteers make up 30% of the state’s firefighting force and have been instrumental in combating these natural disasters, especially during times of emergency. The state of California currently employs approximately 3,700 incarcerated individuals in conservation camps under the Conservation Camp Program (CCP). The program was founded in 1915 by the California Department of Corrections and Rehab (CDCR) and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to select, train, and employ prisoners to aid in public works. To qualify for service, prisoners must retain minimum custody status and have eight years or less remaining on their sentence. However, activists and experts have recently expressed disapproval of the program, claiming that it is exploitative and wrongly endangers inmates. Under the Eighth Amendment, these camps are not only unethical; they are unconstitutional. California lawmakers must reform these conservation camps and protect incarcerated firefighters from exploitation and physical harm.
Training in these camps is intense and physical conditioning can be fatal. Moreover, the pay is abysmal with workers earning between $2.90 and $5 a day, and only an additional dollar per hour when on the fire line. Although conditions are brutal and demeaning, volunteers are attracted to the work due to the possibility of reducing their sentence and gaining skills for a potential firefighting career. In 2016, California passed Proposition 57 which grants credit to certain incarcerated workers to shorten their sentence. For inmates with violent offenses, every two days of service grants one day of credit. Additionally, in 2020, California passed AB2147 which allows camp graduates to expunge their felony records. Other perceived benefits include the opportunity to work in nature, access to better meals, and greater freedom of movement. Furthermore, if volunteers refuse to work, they are often met with threats of a return to more restrictive prison conditions. Camp veteran Jacques D'Elia commented on this saying, “You’re an inmate and you have to do what they say, scary as it is, or else you’re going to get sent back to prison.” This combination of poor camp conditions and attractive incentives for inmates has led many to label the program as exploitative.
Despite criticism of these camps, some claim that the CCP is a positive program and offers significant benefits for incarcerated workers. Some of these advantages include the opportunity for inmates to engage in rewarding work, learn new skills, and ultimately be better prepared to re-enter society upon their release. The CDCR insists that many camp graduates find firefighting jobs upon release. However, many volunteers struggle to find work after their release. The state of California requires firefighters to have an EMT certification which can be a barrier for some camp veterans. Hiring criteria also exclude those with two or more felony convictions, further complicating employment prospects. In theory, these camps serve to benefit inmates, but in practice, they do not offer a comprehensive solution for societal reintegration.
Amid controversy over employing incarcerated people to fight wildfires, some of the most vocal proponents of the program are former volunteers. They feel that the camps are a good way to help others and an opportunity for self-growth. Former volunteer Daniel Bligh said that he “Discover(ed) things inside (him)self that (he) didn’t know (he) possessed … And the greatest joy is the chance to be appreciated, to feel normal for a week or two.” On a different note, some individuals felt compelled to enroll in the camps to avoid dismal prison conditions. According to former volunteer Matthew Hahn, “The conditions in California prisons are so terrible that fighting wildfires is a rational choice.” Although some workers have positive experiences as firefighters, others harbor negative feelings.
Many critics see these camps as exploitative and warn that they mark a new era in prison labor’s expansionist history. Although formal slavery no longer exists in America, the trend of increased incarceration and prison expansion continues, legally superseding racialized systems of coerced labor. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) cautions: “When incarcerated people are used for cheap labor, there is a risk that our criminal justice policy will be hijacked … to grow or maintain this literally captive labor force.” Experts predict that the increased need for climate-linked labor will spur prison growth and worsen conditions for a vulnerable “captive labor force.” This may manifest as higher arrest rates, increased labor coercion, and fewer early releases. Forms of coercion include the threat of punishment, deprivation, and incentives. In 2022, a report from the ACLU and the University of Chicago Global Human Rights Clinic found that prisoners who received little to no pay produced more than $2 billion of goods annually. Many camp veterans reported feeling exploited while working in camps, especially alongside civilian firefighters earning real wages.
This exploitation underscores the need to safeguard the rights of incarcerated workers, especially those serving as firefighters. The Eighth Amendment’s potential to bolster protections for incarcerated firefighters is significant. In Helling v. McKinney (1993), the Supreme Court affirmed that the amendment guarantees standards of treatment encompassing “food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and reasonable safety.” The Supreme Court explained that “(i)t is ‘cruel and unusual punishment to hold convicted criminals in unsafe conditions,’” including conditions that risk future harm. Current fire camp practices contravene these principles, highlighting the need for legislative reform to ensure safe and constitutional conditions for incarcerated firefighters.
While California’s Conservation Camp Program has played an essential role in wildfire response, the legal and ethical issues it exacerbates cannot be overstated. Lawmakers must address these challenges by crafting policies that uphold inmates’ rights while effectively managing the state’s wildfire crisis.
