Among the brave first responders who helped contain this year’s devastating Los Angeles wildfires were more than 900 incarcerated firefighters. Working 24-hour shifts on “hand crews” that dig firebreaks and clear brush to keep the infernos from spreading, incarcerated workers for Cal Fire could expect to make just a little over $1 per hour.
Their time in the spotlight renewed a debate about prison labor conditions and the extremely low pay incarcerated people receive for their work. Those California firefighters make premium pay compared to the typical incarcerated worker, who earns an average of 13 to 52 cents per hour nationally, making the hazardous work one of the most sought-after assignments in U.S. prisons. Even as many incarcerated people testify to the rewards of the job, there are concerns that the even more poorly-paid alternatives force some to put their lives on the line.
Paying fairer wages would promote the health, safety and dignity of incarcerated people and ease the financial burdens for them and their families.
Meager pay for vital work
It’s not only in California that incarcerated people perform a vital public service that carries personal risk. According to a report by the ACLU, 8% of incarcerated workers are employed in public works projects such as road construction, hazardous-waste cleanup, and forestry. They fight wildfires in at least 14 states.
In Pennsylvania, people incarcerated in state prisons do work that not only keeps prisons functioning but benefits the wider economy, including refurbishing state-owned snowplows, making license plates, and manufacturing office furniture. They earn just 23 to 50 cents an hour for most of this work, but the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, like California, also offers monetary incentives for hazardous jobs. It employs incarcerated people in an asbestos abatement program that pays the premium rate of 75 cents to $1.00 per hour.
Despite earning such low wages, incarcerated people are expected to pay for medical care, phone calls, toiletries, and supplemental food from the commissary that has become necessary for them to stave off hunger. In a recent ACLU survey, 70% of incarcerated people reported that their prison wages are not enough to cover basic necessities. Facing a $5 copay for medical care, people in Pennsylvania prisons often have to choose between health care and other necessities. Meanwhile, inflation has forced them to stretch their meager earnings even further.
The costs ultimately fall upon the families of incarcerated people, who are typically from low-income communities. They often pay hundreds of dollars a month to support a loved one behind bars.
If prisons continue to expect incarcerated people and their families to cover the costs of living behind bars, it’s time to give them compensation that reflects the true value of their work.