Racialized and Gendered Labor Processes and Punishment among Incarcerated Women Firefighters

• In Event: Race, Gender, and Class Roundtables Session
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 11) Racism, Punishment, and Sports

Abstract

Labor has long been a central component of punishment in the United States. From chattel slavery to early penitentiary reforms to convict leasing and chain gangs, labor has been a feature if not an outright mode of punishment. In our contemporary era of mass incarceration, penal labor is nearly ubiquitous, operating within a long shadow of racialized captive labor propping up state economic interests. As the climate crisis intensifies and rates of incarceration rise—especially for women of color, one notable yet understudied prison job is on a hand crew at a female fire camp. This paper explicates the role of racialized and gendered prison labor in California’s evolving climate crisis through an examination of the experiences of incarcerated women firefighters. Through their labor, incarcerated women must negotiate the risk of premature death with the possibility of a reduced sentence and chance at redemption. This program blurs the line between punishment and opportunity, creating a heavily surveilled and disciplined workforce while purporting goals of climate adaptation and rehabilitation.

Author

• Raquel Guzman Delerme, University of Southern California