State: Violent Inmates Already Assisting Firefighters

FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ) — The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation came under fire earlier this week, when it proposed using prison inmates with violent backgrounds to assist firefighters.

At time, officials said that the state had fewer than 3,800 nonviolent inmates.

But now, the department says violent inmates have already been assisting CDF for years, with 40% of the current inmates having a such a background.

A spokesman blame the inaccuracies on confusion over the classification of violent crimes.

CDF is now calling for a full investigation, upset by the fact that unarmed firefighters have been working with violent criminals.