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Except the firefighting job isn't a punishment of a crime. They are volunteering for this job, no one is making them do it.

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My uncle used to love fire season back in his convict days so he could get out into nature and have something to pass the time.

"volunteering"... you can do nothing in a cage (while under threat of violence and abuse given the environment) or get a shiny nickel for doing a day's backbreaking labor, and some exploitive corp makes bank by saving on salary costs. deeply, thoroughly disgusting.

Unsure if fiction and reality are aligned here, but at least in Orange is the new Black, inmates are deemed incapable of giving consent (when considering sexual relations with guards).

If that’s true, does it extend out past sexual activities through to workplace choices? Do they actually have a choice, do they actually consent? What’s the difference? Where’s the line?

In Netflix 'Fire Camp' doc, there's a section on inmates who join to fight fires. From what I could see, they inmates have to pass strict conditioning/training to actually work as a fire fighter.

I'd guess if one didn't want to do it, he/she could just slack off and not join.

Look it up and watch the show if you can.

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