this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2025

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A Boring Dystopia

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Humanity loophole: you can pay people less if they're from prison. (slrpnk.net)

submitted 1 day ago by ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net to c/aboringdystopia@lemmy.world

171 comments fedilink hide all child comments

So all we need to do is find a way to put people in prison!

Win-win!

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[+] insomniac_lemon@lemmy.cafe -8 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Under most circumstances this seems like one of the less dystopian options*... because at least on the surface, this is a genuine everybody-problem and not something that drives profit.

Particularly if this actually gives them a career post-release, which seems to be the case in California for at least 4 years now. The alternative is dystopic again.

If this response is more pressured just because of where/who it effects, I could see that being an issue too. The context already dystopic though... like aside from the long-term heat and drought that will continue to be ignored, there was also the profit-over-safety of the PG&E hooks (from another article: PG&E knew old power line parts had ‘severe wear’ months before deadly Camp Fire).

*= Which is probably saying a lot, given that it involves an inferno. And yeah that pay is not great, but what they're being charged daily is likely even worse.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 41 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

Particularly if this actually gives them a career post-release, which seems to be the case in California

Federal Judge: Californians Who Fought Fires In Prison Can’t Become Career Firefighters

A California licensing law that bans many ex-offenders from working as full-time firefighters, even if they were trained to fight fires while imprisoned, was upheld last week by a federal judge.

Nearly all local fire departments require certification as an emergency medical technician (EMT). Yet under California law, EMT certification is off-limits to anyone who has ever been convicted of two or more felonies, has been released from prison for any felony in the past decade, or has been convicted of any two or more drug misdemeanors in the past five years.

Adding to the absurdity, people with multiple felonies can still serve as volunteer or seasonal firefighters, though the latter is only part-time and provides far less job security and fewer benefits than working year-round at a municipal fire department.

...

To counter the labor shortage, Gov. Gavin Newsom is looking to replace the dwindling penal fire camps with professional firefighters. Law enforcement has sharply criticized the proposal, with one sheriff aghast at losing a supply of “nearly free labor:” “The truth is if [the state] kept more people in prison and weren’t so concerned about releasing all of their inmates...they would have plenty of people for fire crews.”

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 22 points 1 day ago

The system totally totally isn't designed to keep the poor down.

[–] insomniac_lemon@lemmy.cafe 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I was going off of this:

RAMEY: We focus on the expungement process. So Gavin Newsom passed a law - I think about four years ago now - and what it pretty much does is help people that come out of, like, California Conservation Camps - being able to get their record expunged, which is amazing because it provides an opportunity where folks can, you know, apply to not only just fire careers, but, like, you know, they can have a brand-new life.

But you're right, I guess expungement is not a guarantee but it is something.

And I did say

The alternative is dystopic again

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

expungement is not a guarantee

It's only a guarantee if you've got lawyer friends or the money to hire a pro. But then how does that benefit unemployed felons?

[–] insomniac_lemon@lemmy.cafe 4 points 1 day ago

It’s only a guarantee if you’ve got lawyer friends or the money to hire a pro. But then how does that benefit unemployed felons?

The guy I quoted is the co-founder of a non-profit.

During pre-release, FFRP participants gain important information and resources needed for successful career planning. During post-release, FFRP participants receive critical job coaching, on-the-job training, paid work opportunities, and ongoing professional development. FFRP strives to ensure formerly incarcerated firefighters have the support needed to find long-term career success once released from state correctional Conservation Camps.

In addition, the nonprofit works with other partners to help participants navigate the court system. In 2020, California passed a law that allows formerly incarcerated firefighters to petition the courts to expunge their convictions upon release. If they win approval, they don’t have to wait until their parole ends to apply for jobs within municipal and county fire departments or to pursue the EMT credentials required of most full-time, higher-paying firefighting positions.

With the help of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, the fire recruitment program has successfully filed 38 petitions, 12 of which have been granted so far, and 21 of which are pending.

(from 2022)

Although my "not a guarantee" was with the context of a federal judge pushing back.

[–] mogranja@lemmy.world 0 points 20 hours ago

was upheld last week

The article is from Feb 2021, though. Maybe something changed?

[–] Crackhappy@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago