Camden County, Georgia Considers Employing Inmates As Fire Fighters To Deal With Budget Woes

States and localities across the country are looking for ways to cut costs amid budget shortfalls, and one county is taking an approach that many residents find controversial: hiring prison inmates as fire fighters.

Camden County, Georgia is considering an “inmates-to-firefighters” program as one way to keep residents’ fire insurance costs from more than doubling, according to The Florida Times-Union. The program is one of multiple options Camden’s Board of County Commissioners are considering, but officials say hiring inmates as firefighters would be more cost-effective than the other options, saving the county more than $500,000 per year.

Camden County’s decision comes as localities around the country are curbing police, fire department and other services to cope with shrinking budgets. The Stevens Point Fire Department in Stevens Point, Wisconsin is aiming to trim its budget by more than $140,000 through overtime changes and other measures, according to The Stevens Point Journal. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced in March that he wanted to cut the fire department’s ranks to deal with looming budget deficits, according to the Gotham Gazette.

And it's not just fire departments that are experiencing the squeeze. Public-sector job cuts have slowed the recovery, even as the private sector made gains. Government officials slashed 34,000 jobs in September, while the private sector created jobs, according to The Department of Labor.

Camden’s inmates-to-firefighters program isn’t the only way former criminals are getting put to work in Georgia.

After the state passed a law in the summer cracking down on undocumented immigrants, Georgia farmers complained that they couldn’t produce at the levels they were accustomed to because the migrant laborers who pick berries and cucumbers were too fearful of deportation to come to work. In response Republican Governor Nathan Deal started an experiment where he made crews of unemployed probationers available for farmers to hire to replace the migrant workers.

While working on a farm or as a fire fighter may seem like a strange place to find a prisoner or ex-convict, states use prisoner work crews in a variety of capacities beyond just cleaning up trash on the side of the road. In Maryland, some prisoners have planted more than 2.5 million trees in the past three years, according to NPR. They also maintain a rescue farm for thoroughbred horses.

But some localities are re-examining their prisoner labor programs in response to budget concerns. Michigan and North Carolina eliminated their prison inmate labor programs and Florida reduced its program by 40 percent this year, USA Today recently reported.

Comments

[Melinda Kabat]

02:44 PM on 10/16/2011

I think it could be a great idea. Here in CA they use inmates to fight wildfires. I'm sure they don't use arsonists as firefighters, they only use prisoners who are on their best behavior, and they are trained to do the job. It's not "slave labor," as these prisoners willingly volunteer for these positions...most of them have to "work" in prison anyways. It helps them get time off their sentences, and helps them to do something USEFUL rather than just wasting time, space & taxpayer $ sitting around in a prison doing nothing.

[Sumz54]

05:15 AM on 11/02/2011

But how many prisoners would risk their lives to save you, or your children in a fire? They may *say* yeah sure we'll be firefighters - for the reasons you said: it would help them get time cut off their sentences, and because prisoners are usually paid (although not very much) for the jobs they do. But when it comes down to it would they have the heart to risk their lives for someone else? A lot of these people were put in prison for selfish behaviors: hurting someone else, hard drug usage etc. and in extreme circumstances (like a house burning down) they probably wouldn't have the kahunas, nor the willingness/motive to risk death to save your family. This attitude would probably be okay in the common circumstances: i.e a small brushfire on the side of the road, etc. as the large fires only happen once in a blue moon - but when the serious fires did happen, which family will be injured or killed because a prison inmate was more worried about self preservation than about saving them? Being a firefighter takes heart; they risk everything to save people they don't even know and for pay they get a small salary, decent benefits, and honor, that's all. God knows I couldn't do that job. Most firefighters do it out of desires to help other people, knowing that they must risk themselves every day to do it. How many prison inmates do you know who have that attitude?

[Rangergirl]

10:44 PM on 10/12/2011

What a horrid way to trim costs. Inmates are not trained to fight fires. You would think that you can just walk in and put out a fire. Also the possibility of escape. Are they going to be shackled? (The last is sarcasm) IDIOTIC

[StopMakingSense2]

02:17 PM on 10/12/2011

China has a huge slave labor force of kangaroo court convicts. I bet conservatives think this is a great idea based on their past history but what about competition with the private sector? They hate to emulate the best but don't think twice about the worst..

[alan2a]

01:42 PM on 10/12/2011

I was under the impression that slavery was illegal. Well maybe not below the mason dixon line.

[Boomerwoman]

01:41 PM on 10/12/2011

Well, why don't we use prisoners to police our streets too? Yea, that's the ticket!

[StopMakingSense2]

02:22 PM on 10/12/2011

Their paradise would be like the movie Fido http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457572/ where zombies get enslaved and do all the work for nothing. A little known cult classic that is socially appalling and hysterical at the same time. Highly recommended for those who want to see how conservatives think and the paradise they seek!

[hgus]

01:32 PM on 10/12/2011

Plain and simple. This is outsourcing.

FInd someone who will do the job cheaper. Slave labor is preferable.

They are coming for your job next.

[hgus]

01:28 PM on 10/12/2011

I'll bet that the private Prison system will be charging some type of "admin fee" or will be taking a portion of the wages that the prisoners get for "all of the work involved in making this program happen".

Cha Ching!!!

[newleaf]

12:47 PM on 10/12/2011

Well of course it's cheaper, the inmates are benefitting from socialized health care!

[hgus]

11:33 AM on 10/12/2011

LOL. This is comical.

We can afford to pay our criminals, our prisoners. But not to pay honest hard working americans. Wow.

How pathetic is this.

We already treat our inmates with more respect and dignity than we do our poor and mentally ill, now we are giving them JOBS!! Our inmates get 3 meals a day, and healthcare.

Our homeless and mentally ill get yelled at by people like Herman Cain saying "Blame yourself".

What is wrong with this country.

[Edward Grimes]

03:40 AM on 11/02/2011

Do you have no common sense? We wont be paying anyone... If the jail is "renting" the services of the inmates to a farm.. The farm is paying the jail.. Inmates make like $0.25 a day or something small like that.. If the farm is paying the jail minimum wage.. The government makes money.

[AbeMartin]

10:44 AM on 10/12/2011

Not a bad idea.  Since the U.S. prison system is the fastest growing sector of the economy, why not utilize all of that human resource potential to create some good.  Hey!  How about training inmates to become police officers, as well?   It has long been axiomatic that the only difference between a thief and many police officers is that the cops (and our elected leadership, for that matter) can steal and get away with it.

[hgus]

11:34 AM on 10/12/2011

Great idea, now we can lay off more fire fighters and "Outsource" the jobs to prisoners. That should allow us to save some money on payroll, and destroy some union jobs.

Woohoo. Win win for the GOP.

This is the end game of "Starve the beast".

[Boomerwoman]

01:42 PM on 10/12/2011

You are fanned for "This is the end game of 'Starve the beast'." Brilliant.

[Edward Grimes]

03:41 AM on 11/02/2011

If I read correctly.. Firing the firefighters will make your house insurance go up hiring free labor to take over a job that was already gone to keep your insurance down seems like a fair trade.

[El Chingaso]

09:53 AM on 10/12/2011

Well, all the money has gone up in smoke (thanks to politicians and Wall Street). Do you still want "basic" fire protection or not?

[Sumz54]

05:20 AM on 11/02/2011

"better pay the annual firefighting fee (even though you already pay taxes) if you want services, otherwise we'll stand across the street and watch your home burn..."

[Raccoon1]

09:32 AM on 10/12/2011

A couple of four-hour training sessions and they will be all set to go. You think? Firefighters train for years.........

[AbeMartin]

10:45 AM on 10/12/2011

The prisoners are considered disposable inventory.  Sort of like the old Robert Aldrich film classic, "The Dirty Dozen."

[hgus]

01:34 PM on 10/12/2011

In the case of the Dirty dozen, the job was something that no-reasonable person would be willing to do.

in this case, we are eliminating jobs of good Americans who want to work and provide value to their community.

[Sumz54]

05:24 AM on 11/02/2011

I guess they just figure that if one dies doing the job they'll just replace him with another prisoner since this country has 5% of the world's population and 25% of the prisoners. Disposable capital, and an endless supply. The innocent people that die because the firefighters aren't properly trained - just collateral costs, but look at the benefits! \sarcasm

[Raccoon1]

09:29 AM on 10/12/2011

A murder or rapist coming into your home with an axe. Great!

[hgus]

01:30 PM on 10/12/2011

The rich live in gated communities, with their own fire departments. So they don't need to worry about it.

Plus they have bought shares in the private prison industry that will take a cut of the wages paid to the prisoners.

The end game of "starve the beast" is here.

[nothingchanges]

09:18 AM on 10/12/2011

I think they should be sent to Congress.

It might be an improvement.

[AbeMartin]

10:47 AM on 10/12/2011

Yeah.  I agree.  Currently, we have 535 representatives, most have whom should be in prison.  Replacing them with 535 representatives who at least have done some time for their crimes would be a welcome injection of reality in an increasingly surreal political realm.

[Loaks]

06:02 AM on 10/12/2011

Great idea! Lets save twice the money and hire them to be Police officers also.

[hgus]

01:35 PM on 10/12/2011

Think it will be cheaper? Don't you think that the private prison will want an "administrative fee"?

After all, they are entitled to make a profit. aren't they?