Conservation camps: county-operated camps.

Existing law establishes the California Conservation Camp program to provide for the training and use of the inmates and wards assigned to conservation camps in the furtherance of public conservation. Existing law requires the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to use inmates and wards assigned to conservation camps for fire prevention, fire control, and other work of the department. This bill would authorize a county sheriff or the director of the county department of corrections to utilize inmates assigned to county conservation camps in performing fire prevention, fire suppression and control, and other work as may be assigned by the sheriff or the director of the county department of corrections. Existing law authorizes the establishment in each county of an industrial farm or industrial road camp in which prisoners are held in custody and required to work on the farm or camp, and prescribes procedures for the adoption of a resolution by a county board of supervisors before establishing such an industrial farm or road camp. Existing law authorizes the legislative body of any incorporated city to avail itself of the use of the industrial farm or road camp upon adoption of a resolution and subject to reimbursing the county for the care of the city's prisoners. This bill would additionally authorize the establishment in each county of a conservation camp, as defined. The bill would permit an industrial farm, industrial road camp, or conservation camp to be operated by the sheriff or the director of the county department of corrections who would be required to establish administrative rules consistent with the rules of the jail, or to be operated as an entity separate from the county jail administered by a superintendent subject to administrative rules adopted by the board of supervisors. The bill would make existing statutory provisions that govern the administration and operation of an industrial farm or industrial road camp also applicable to a conservation camp. The bill would also authorize a county to establish conservation camps for women prisoners in accordance with prescribed requirements. Existing law specifies that any inmate sentenced to county jail who is assigned to a conservation camp by a sheriff and who is eligible to earn one day of credit for every one day of incarceration shall instead earn 2 days of credit for every one day of service. This bill would make these provisions governing incarceration credits applicable instead to any inmate sentenced to a county jail who is assigned to a state- or county-operated conservation camp by a sheriff or the director of the county department of corrections.