Inmate firefighters responding to the ongoing Los Angeles fires and working 24-hour shifts are earning $26.90 per day, according to the California Dept. of Corrections.

The role of inmate firefighters is in the spotlight as crews continue to battle the blazes in Southern California.

More than 1,000 California inmates have been fighting the wildfires, a controversial practice that dates back to 1915 and results from a complex intersection of public safety, labor economics, and criminal justice.

Nearly 950 inmates are removing timber and brush in an attempt to slow the spread of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The corrections department has run the program for more than 100 years.

The work done by prisoners to prevent and contain fires is just as valuable as that of other responders. But unlike their professional counterparts, they don't receive protections or benefits.

Using inmate labor to fight fires has been a practice in California since the 1940s. Where did it start and what do participants actually do and get paid?

Nearly 400 inmates are among the 14,000 emergency responders working on the wildfires that have destroyed at least 2,000 buildings and killed at least six in the Los Angeles area. At present, inmates are believed to make up approximately 30 percent of the state’s firefighting force, according to the Los Angeles Times.

How much do incarcerated firefighters in California make? Will they be able to get firefighting jobs upon release? Here’s what we can VERIFY.

Over 1,100 California inmates have worked around the clock to help fight Los Angeles-area fires that have killed at least 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes. One 42-year-old man

Officials say Mario Campbell, 36, was taken to a nearby hospital outside the prison, where he later fell to his injuries.

As of Friday, 939 prison inmates have been deployed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation ... than 55 square miles across the Los Angeles area. At least 10 people are ...

Although the Conservation (Fire) Camp Program provides critical support during wildfire season, it has faced significant criticism, especially for being exploitative in nature. California is one of 12 states that use incarcerated people to help fight fires.