Lake Elsinore-Wildomar Patch
RIVERSIDE COUNTY — Riverside County supervisors Tuesday approved a sheriff’s department request to send jail inmates to work on California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection hand crews as a means of reducing the burden on the county’s correctional system.
Riverside County will be the first in the state to take advantage of the program, which was established under Assembly Bill 109, the Public Safety Realignment Act of 2011.
“I’m surprised we’re the first in the state to embrace this. It’s a good proposal with obvious benefits,” said Supervisor Kevin Jeffries, who brought the issue forward. Jeffries represents the 1st District, which includes, among others, the cities of Lake Elsinore and Wildomar, as well as nearby unincorporated areas.
Under an agreement with the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, qualifying inmates serving time in county jails can be put to work fighting wildfires and performing other duties carried out by Cal Fire inmate hand crews. There are 196 such crews throughout the state, 17 of them based in Riverside County.
Full story: Supervisor Jeffries Helps Put Inmates To Work Fighting Fires