California’s efforts to fight destructive fires across the state were hampered this year by an unexpected circumstance. Coronavirus precautions made inmate crews a less reliable source of labor. This system has long been criticized as their pay typically tops out at a few dollars per hour. Some describe it as “slave labor.” Nor Cal Public Assistant News Director Adia White spoke with KQED Science Reporter Kevin Stark about the issue.
Read Kevin Stark’s article, “Shortage of Inmate Firefighters Hampers Response in Bay Area”
(Photo: Incarcerated firefighters clear brush in Santa Barbara – U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Brian Ferguson)
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