An incarcerated individual in state or county correctional facilities who is assigned as an inmate firefighter may earn additional sentence credits of two days of credit for each day of service after completing training or while assigned to a conservation camp or firefighting unit. Youth wards at the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp may also receive training in wildland firefighting skills through programs operated by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in partnership with California counties.
AB 247 entitles both incarcerated adult hand crew members and youth hand crew members assigned to active fire incidents to receive an hourly wage of $7.25, in addition to any sentence credits earned. These wage provisions under AB 247 only apply to incarcerated individuals working in state or county conservation camps, correctional facilities, or institutions, and to wards or youth assigned to the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp. AB 247 requires that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation review the wage rate annually and establish regulations that create an administrative adjudication and remedy process for resolving disputes over wages owed.
AB 247 took effect immediately on October 13, 2025, as urgency legislation.
(AB 247 amends Section 4019.2, and adds Section 2714 to the Penal Code, and Section 1760.46 to the Welfare and Institutions Code.)