Proposal Would Double Pay for Most Incarcerated Workers in California

It suggests increasing wages for the lowest-paid workers from 8 to 16 cents per hour up to 37 to 74 cents per hour for skilled workers.

An inmate at the Mule Creek State Prison sits on his bunk bed in a gymnasium that was modified to house prisoners in Ione, Calif., on Aug. 28, 2007. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is considering a proposal to increase pay for most inmates working in the state’s prison system.

According to the proposal, such would “ensure its inmate population is treated with dignity and has the resources and skills needed to transition back to society” by increasing “inmate pay … commensurate with the job skill level, and also be deemed fiscally responsible based on inflation.”