Prisons and jails: employment of inmates.

Assembly Member Wilson's proposal to restructure California's inmate labor system would end mandatory work requirements in state prisons and establish a voluntary work program framework. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) would develop new regulations governing voluntary work assignments and their compensation, while local governments would set wages for county and city jail programs through ordinances.

The measure replaces current requirements that mandate eight hours of daily programming, including labor, for able-bodied inmates. Starting January 1, 2027, CDCR could no longer compel incarcerated individuals to work, except in specified circumstances. The department would retain authority to establish compensation rates for state prison work assignments, independent of state and local minimum wage laws. County and city programs would operate under locally-determined wage structures.

The bill maintains existing provisions for including inmate compensation when calculating costs of work program services. It preserves CDCR's ability to compensate individuals performing productive labor outside Prison Industry Authority programs through legislative appropriations or departmental funds. The measure also continues current policies allowing the department to determine forfeiture of earnings when inmates escape, with forfeitures directed to the Inmate Welfare Fund. Local agencies would receive state reimbursement for costs associated with implementing the new requirements.