Over this last weekend, as wildfires continue to blaze through the majority of California, our first responders are fighting tirelessly to save the communities that we love and cherish. Amongst this group of people, are inmates throughout counties in California. “The program, Conservation Camp Program, is operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Cal Fire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Together they operate 43 fire camps across 27 counties” (NPR). This program has been in existence for years. There are approximately 3,100 inmates working at fire camps currently. About 2,200 of those are fire line-qualified inmates. In addition to inmate firefighters, camp inmates can work as support staff for the camps (CDCR).
On September 11th, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB2147. In short, this will allow formerly incarcerated individuals that participated in the Conservation Camp Program to apply for employment with Cal Fire. Now, before everyone is quick to critique me for writing this and Governor Newsom for putting this into action, let’s cover a few things:
1. People convicted of violent felonies are ineligible to fight fires as inmates and therefore also excluded from applying to have their records cleared
2. Bill allows inmates who have worked as firefighters to ask the court to dismiss their charges to make it easier for them to find a job once they are released
3. Former inmates would also have to directly petition the court for their records being expunged and not be automatic
An overall theme of many comments and reports that have been addressing this new Assembly Bill discuss the importance of giving second chances. In an earlier edition of Energizing the Workforce, this was a key point of discussion as well. Within that post, I explained “It seems that every day various news outlets report on the “Criminal Justice Reform” or the “Incarceration Issue,” but do not explain what we as individuals can do to help solve the issues at hand.” This bill (AB2147) and this practice explain answers the question of how we can better solve this issue. While this not directly related to the energy industry, it is an exact connection of what we CAN do to further our employment goals.
This new legislation is set to roll into effect in January of 2021, which will allow newly released individuals to help contribute their time and efforts to next year’s wildfire season. Regulations and new legislation like this can not only be implemented to support efforts of CalFire but can also be implemented into the EE space. We have said time and time again that the energy industry is growing with the opportunity now and in the coming years. With more local, state, and federal agencies creating climate plans and guidelines, our efforts to expand our workforce will increase exponentially.
I think that steps like this are more valuable than people can begin to explain. Assemblywomen Reyes commented while discussing AB2147, "Rehabilitation without strategies to ensure the formerly incarcerated have a career is a pathway to recidivism” and she is 100% correct. Moving into the point that “to correct is to right a wrong; to rehabilitate is to restore.” Restoration is one of the many answers to the problems that we face in industries across all scopes of work. Aiding in multiple global issues (clean energy, workforce development, criminal justice reform, etc.) at one time can only enact vast improvements for us and the future members of the communities that we live in.
Part of equity and inclusion is giving such opportunities to the groups of people that need extra support. Formerly incarcerated individuals are the ones that need this support to better themselves which will, in turn, better society. Being part of the Energy Industry makes the statement above even more prevalent. To be transparent, our industry has many issues when it comes to creating an equitable/diverse workforce. But this, this legislation that was signed is one of the ways we can work towards equity and enhance the success of the energy industry.
Sources:
https://californiaglobe.com/section-2/breaking-gov-newsom-signs-bill-that-expunges-records-of-ex-con-wildfire-fighters/
https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2020/09/11/california-clears-way-for-inmate-firefighters-to-enter-profession-upon-release-9424131
https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/912193742/california-bill-clears-path-for-ex-inmates-to-become-firefighters