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Small-Axe

(359 posts)

18. It costs over $75,000 a year to house an inmate on average in CA...

Reply to Equinox Moon (Original post)

Sun Nov 18, 2018, 11:28 PM

Nov 2018

if they were paid $15 an hour it would take 5,000 hours to cover the cost.

Not cheap labor.

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Prisoners are fighting the California fires - $1.00/ hour [View all] Equinox Moon Nov 2018 OP

it's 1,500 not 15,000 IcyPeas Nov 2018 #1

Thanks. Equinox Moon Nov 2018 #2

Prison labor is slave labor. Solidarity with incarcerated people. WhiskeyGrinder Nov 2018 #3

yes Demovictory9 Nov 2018 #4

They volunteer and train for the opportunity. nt USALiberal Nov 2018 #5

"Volunteer" elides the inherent lack of agency prisoners have. WhiskeyGrinder Nov 2018 #6

They would rather be outside the cells fighting fires. You would stop that program?? nt USALiberal Nov 2018 #7

What you say can be true at the same time that it's slave labor. WhiskeyGrinder Nov 2018 #10

No it is not. Slaves had no choice. These prisoners asked for this job. Simple. nt USALiberal Nov 2018 #11

Just because someone is in prison does not mean they don't want to help their community alphafemale Nov 2018 #23

Correction....Its Cheap Labor. nt UniteFightBack Nov 2018 #12

Not really, when one considers it cost more per year to incarcerate someone than it does... Small-Axe Nov 2018 #14

I have an incarcerated friend who has been on a list for 2 years to get grantcart Nov 2018 #24

Right, right, that doesn't sound expoloitative or coercive at all. WhiskeyGrinder Nov 2018 #40

He did terrible things. He ripped off dozens of elderly folks and got their life savings grantcart Nov 2018 #41

Right, that makes exploitation and coercion okay, and we should totally build our justice system WhiskeyGrinder Nov 2018 #42

No coercion, no exploitation grantcart Nov 2018 #43

We should give them credits for earlier release Cicada Nov 2018 #8

They get such credits. Small-Axe Nov 2018 #13

This is a great program that allows well-trained inmate figherfighters... Small-Axe Nov 2018 #9

I saw them a lot during the Santa Rosa fires last year Downtown Hound Nov 2018 #15

Inmate firefighters . keithbvadu2 Nov 2018 #16

Inmates who volunteer to fight California's largest fires denied access to jobs on release ProudLib72 Nov 2018 #21

do they get OT? Demonaut Nov 2018 #17

It costs over $75,000 a year to house an inmate on average in CA... Small-Axe Nov 2018 #18

It shouldn't be cheap to send prisoners into life-threatening situations. Iggo Nov 2018 #19

It isn't cheap. You've got your wish. Small-Axe Nov 2018 #20

It isn't really supposed to be mitigated by the labor. We could afford to pay a more reasonable JCanete Nov 2018 #25

The $75,000 cost just gives a lie to the charge this is cheap labor. It's not. Small-Axe Nov 2018 #26

well its cheaper than hiring somebody who isn't in prison. They're already paying that JCanete Nov 2018 #29

I think the self-pride that comes with saving lives... Small-Axe Nov 2018 #30

that sounds like platitudes to me. How would better pay in any way reduce taht pride? nt JCanete Nov 2018 #31

Not a bit. Small-Axe Nov 2018 #33

Prisoners have low paying jobs in prisons. PufPuf23 Nov 2018 #22

Thanks for being a voice of reason and experience. Small-Axe Nov 2018 #27

While I agree with some of what you are saying, I think thats far too easy. For one thing, JCanete Nov 2018 #28

It seems simplistic to blame only the prison lobby for the criminality that causes people... Small-Axe Nov 2018 #32

it is where our priorities are. Scaremongering and promoting policing, anti-immigration, etc. JCanete Nov 2018 #34

I think you are letting a radicalized worldview get in the way of seeing the positives... Small-Axe Nov 2018 #35

what is radicalized about my world-view? I'd need an example. You know that in 2014 JCanete Nov 2018 #36

As I said, it isn't "cheap labor." It is very (very) expensive labor. Small-Axe Nov 2018 #37

then why did we literally argue for it, as a REASON to keep people in cells? JCanete Nov 2018 #38

Not following Small-Axe Nov 2018 #39