What is this bill about?
Current law (Penal Code § 4019.3) sets a maximum wage of $2.00 per eight-hour shift for incarcerated workers in the custody of county jails. AB 248 would repeal this maximum wage and would allow counties to set their own wages for incarcerated workers under their jurisdiction. This bill does not require counties to pay wages to incarcerated workers; it simply gives them the authority to do so.
How does it align with yli’s values?
Incarcerated workers are workers and deserve to earn monetary wages. Currently, incarcerated workers in county jails do not earn monetary wages in over 90% of California’s counties. In most counties, incarcerated workers are provided with sentence credits or other informal “compensation” such as additional recreational time.
yli partners with thousands of youth across the state, the majority of whom are low-income youth of color. We witness first hand the impacts of our state’s harmful “justice” system on their lives, and are staunch advocates of measures that will reduce the criminalization and incarceration of our loved ones – and ensure their fair treatment while incarcerated.
This policy aligns with our Racial Justice Platform, which addresses the impacts of the carceral system on communities of color.
What is yli doing about it?
We have just submitted a letter endorsing this bill, and we are showing our support on Facebook and Instagram.
Who supports this bill?
- Legal Services for Prisoners with Children