Once again the ugly under-belly of the Empire is exposed. Listen to
today's edition of Democracy Now and get an earful of prison life and
after life, in the world' most civilized nation. Think about the
underlying philosophy that promotes eternal punishment for those
convicted of crimes, no matter what it might be. And think of the
wonderful Capitalist System that seizes upon the opportunity of cheap
labor. Listen to how prisoners are exploited while serving their
time. It's the same system that is sucking the marrow from our
children's bones.
It's the same system that is draining the resources from so called,
Third World Nations, forcing countless of millions of human beings
into hopeless poverty.
It's the same system that has created a military monster to protect
its right to rape and plunder. And it's the same system that is now
turning on its own working class with a vengeance. The Empire, like
all empires before it, is doomed to destroy itself. But if we think
we can just put on a happy face and sit around and wait, we got
another think coming.
Carl Jarvis
On 9/1/15, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Enders writes: "Washington has been employing inmates in juvenile detention
to fight wildfires for decades. But the teen's escape has shed new light on
the program."
Juvenile inmates fight fires in Washington state, in a handout photograph
taken in July. (photo: DSHS)
Escape Casts Spotlight on Washington Use of Juvenile Inmates to Fight
Wildfires
By Caty Enders, Guardian UK
31 August 15
As record-setting Washington wildfires burned last week, a 16-year-old
inmate who was helping to fight the Chelan Complex fire escaped from a work
camp, after punching a security guard.
The next day, 22 August, police found the inmate on a nearby road and
attempted to apprehend him. He pulled out a .22 caliber revolver and, after
a brief interaction, fired one shot to his head.
The teen survived, but the program that deploys young inmates to help fight
wildfires was placed on hold.
Washington has been employing inmates in juvenile detention to fight
wildfires for decades. But the teen's escape has shed new light on the
program.
David Ball, a criminal justice lawyer and corrections expert at
California's
Santa Clara University, said he was surprised to learn of fire camps for
inmates under the age of 18.
"The word about scared-straight boot camps for juveniles is that they don't
do any good," said Ball. "For most juvenile programs, there are lots of
other things for these kids to do, like get their GED and go to counseling.
This is really something that I have not heard of."
The Washington state government said it was reassessing the juvenile work
camps, in light of the events. Two deployed crews had been recalled to
their
main facilities.
But Jennifer Redman, a probation officer with Washington's juvenile
services, said she was hopeful the state will "get this program back up and
running so we can deploy again".
Naselle Youth Camp, which houses 76 boys, deploys two fire crews throughout
the year. Since the 1960s, camps like this one have supplied the Department
of Natural Resources (DNR) with inexpensive labor for trail work, fire
prevention and fire suppression.
Redman said such crews were "not in the midst of heavy flames". She said
they began their 16-hour days at around 4am or 5am, received a lunch break,
and then continued work until the early evening. Receiving orders from a
DNR
fire crew, they assisted with digging trenches, hauling pails of water to
put out hot spots and supporting frontline firefighters.
"[They are] providing low-level fire suppression, so maybe just a smaller
hose going to smaller areas," said Redman. "Or doing clear-cutting."
During a 14-day rotation, she said, inmates on fire prevention work
received
between $0.70 and $1.60 per day. Stints could be extended to 21 days, with
a
day off, and overtime pay or bonus fire pay was possible.
"Definitely the skills are transferrable," said Redman. "Just waking up
early in the morning and going to work, which is not a skill our kids come
to us with."
The young inmates at Naselle have committed crimes ranging from theft or
drug offenses to burglary and violent crime.
The youth who escaped from the camp allegedly obtained the gun from a parks
vehicle, about eight hours after he assaulted a guard and ran. According to
a police report, he was in stable condition in hospital.
"The length we've been involved in the program speaks for itself," said
Redman, who said it was "extremely successful, both for the kids as well as
the communities that they're providing support for".
The average age of children in Washington's juvenile work camps is between
16 and 17, according to juvenile services.
For years, state budget cuts have threatened to shutter the low-security
Naselle Youth Camp. In a town hall meeting in 2009, Naselle graduates
turned
up to fight for the camp, which offers an alternative to typical
incarceration.
One former resident talked about working with the DNR for four years and
being deployed at 12 fires. He called the work programs, which made him
more
than $7,000, "irreplaceable" and said they helped him become a "successful
and productive young man" upon release.
California has two Division of Juvenile Justice fire camps. But in that
state, juveniles must be at least 18 to work in a camp. In California,
which
also operates 42 adult fire camps, 18- to 23-year-olds are expected to
operate closer to the fire. In the 72 years the program has existed,
inmates
have died working the fire line.
According to Bill Sessa, an information officer with the California
department of corrections, "all of the juvenile offenders [used to fight
fires] have committed serious or violent felonies".
Sessa said spots in the program were coveted, available to both young men
and women, and only granted to inmates that were exceptional.
"They have to have the aptitude to be in the camp," said Sessa. "They have
to be willing to work as a team. They have to take the responsibility to be
part of a crew. And they have to be physically able to do the work.
"You can't minimize the fact that it's dangerous work. But by the same
token, the safety record of these crews is very good."
The point of such camps, as laid out by the state of California, is to
"provide the cooperative agencies with an able-bodied, trained work force
for fire suppression and other emergencies such as floods and earthquakes".
Redman said that while such work in Washington state was good for
discipline, inmates were not necessarily receiving vocational training that
would set them up for a job with the DNR upon release.
"I wouldn't say it's very common," she said, "because there's competing
demand for those jobs."
In many states, including California, inmate firefighters will be
disqualified from fire crews once they get out of prison, due to their
felony convictions. The Washington DNR conducts what a human resources
representative called "extensive" criminal background checks. Certain types
of felon are automatically barred.
For adult inmates, David Ball said, the work may be dangerous but the camps
are often a welcome alternative.
"Prison is terrible," said Ball. "And this is the less terrible version of
prison for most people."
Ball said it was important for each state to assess whether such programs
were rehabilitating inmates, not least when the inmates were minors.
"It might be a great idea for these kids going out on these fire crews,"
said Ball. "But I'd like to know, what evidence do you have that that's
true? We don't typically let children do this type of work."
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink reference not
valid.
Juvenile inmates fight fires in Washington state, in a handout photograph
taken in July. (photo: DSHS)
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/31/washington-state-juvenile-inmat
es-fight-wildfires-escapehttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/31/washin
gton-state-juvenile-inmates-fight-wildfires-escape
Escape Casts Spotlight on Washington Use of Juvenile Inmates to Fight
Wildfires
By Caty Enders, Guardian UK
31 August 15
s record-setting Washington wildfires burned last week, a 16-year-old
inmate who was helping to fight the Chelan Complex fire escaped from a work
camp, after punching a security guard.
The next day, 22 August, police found the inmate on a nearby road and
attempted to apprehend him. He pulled out a .22 caliber revolver and, after
a brief interaction, fired one shot to his head.
The teen survived, but the program that deploys young inmates to help fight
wildfires was placed on hold.
Washington has been employing inmates in juvenile detention to fight
wildfires for decades. But the teen's escape has shed new light on the
program.
David Ball, a criminal justice lawyer and corrections expert at
California's
Santa Clara University, said he was surprised to learn of fire camps for
inmates under the age of 18.
"The word about scared-straight boot camps for juveniles is that they don't
do any good," said Ball. "For most juvenile programs, there are lots of
other things for these kids to do, like get their GED and go to counseling.
This is really something that I have not heard of."
The Washington state government said it was reassessing the juvenile work
camps, in light of the events. Two deployed crews had been recalled to
their
main facilities.
But Jennifer Redman, a probation officer with Washington's juvenile
services, said she was hopeful the state will "get this program back up and
running so we can deploy again".
Naselle Youth Camp, which houses 76 boys, deploys two fire crews throughout
the year. Since the 1960s, camps like this one have supplied the Department
of Natural Resources (DNR) with inexpensive labor for trail work, fire
prevention and fire suppression.
Redman said such crews were "not in the midst of heavy flames". She said
they began their 16-hour days at around 4am or 5am, received a lunch break,
and then continued work until the early evening. Receiving orders from a
DNR
fire crew, they assisted with digging trenches, hauling pails of water to
put out hot spots and supporting frontline firefighters.
"[They are] providing low-level fire suppression, so maybe just a smaller
hose going to smaller areas," said Redman. "Or doing clear-cutting."
During a 14-day rotation, she said, inmates on fire prevention work
received
between $0.70 and $1.60 per day. Stints could be extended to 21 days, with
a
day off, and overtime pay or bonus fire pay was possible.
"Definitely the skills are transferrable," said Redman. "Just waking up
early in the morning and going to work, which is not a skill our kids come
to us with."
The young inmates at Naselle have committed crimes ranging from theft or
drug offenses to burglary and violent crime.
The youth who escaped from the camp allegedly obtained the gun from a parks
vehicle, about eight hours after he assaulted a guard and ran. According to
a police report, he was in stable condition in hospital.
"The length we've been involved in the program speaks for itself," said
Redman, who said it was "extremely successful, both for the kids as well as
the communities that they're providing support for".
The average age of children in Washington's juvenile work camps is between
16 and 17, according to juvenile services.
For years, state budget cuts have threatened to shutter the low-security
Naselle Youth Camp. In a town hall meeting in 2009, Naselle graduates
turned
up to fight for the camp, which offers an alternative to typical
incarceration.
One former resident talked about working with the DNR for four years and
being deployed at 12 fires. He called the work programs, which made him
more
than $7,000, "irreplaceable" and said they helped him become a "successful
and productive young man" upon release.
California has two Division of Juvenile Justice fire camps. But in that
state, juveniles must be at least 18 to work in a camp. In California,
which
also operates 42 adult fire camps, 18- to 23-year-olds are expected to
operate closer to the fire. In the 72 years the program has existed,
inmates
have died working the fire line.
According to Bill Sessa, an information officer with the California
department of corrections, "all of the juvenile offenders [used to fight
fires] have committed serious or violent felonies".
Sessa said spots in the program were coveted, available to both young men
and women, and only granted to inmates that were exceptional.
"They have to have the aptitude to be in the camp," said Sessa. "They have
to be willing to work as a team. They have to take the responsibility to be
part of a crew. And they have to be physically able to do the work.
"You can't minimize the fact that it's dangerous work. But by the same
token, the safety record of these crews is very good."
The point of such camps, as laid out by the state of California, is to
"provide the cooperative agencies with an able-bodied, trained work force
for fire suppression and other emergencies such as floods and earthquakes".
Redman said that while such work in Washington state was good for
discipline, inmates were not necessarily receiving vocational training that
would set them up for a job with the DNR upon release.
"I wouldn't say it's very common," she said, "because there's competing
demand for those jobs."
In many states, including California, inmate firefighters will be
disqualified from fire crews once they get out of prison, due to their
felony convictions. The Washington DNR conducts what a human resources
representative called "extensive" criminal background checks. Certain types
of felon are automatically barred.
For adult inmates, David Ball said, the work may be dangerous but the camps
are often a welcome alternative.
"Prison is terrible," said Ball. "And this is the less terrible version of
prison for most people."
Ball said it was important for each state to assess whether such programs
were rehabilitating inmates, not least when the inmates were minors.
"It might be a great idea for these kids going out on these fire crews,"
said Ball. "But I'd like to know, what evidence do you have that that's
true? We don't typically let children do this type of work."
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