Recall and resentencing: incarcerated firefighters.

Assembly Member Lowenthal's legislation creates a pathway for incarcerated firefighters to request sentence recall and resentencing based on their emergency response service. The measure amends California's Penal Code to authorize courts to review sentences of individuals who have served in the state's 35 conservation camps, where minimum-security inmates work alongside professional firefighters to combat wildfires and respond to other natural disasters.

Under the proposed changes, courts must conduct hearings to evaluate resentencing requests from incarcerated firefighters, considering both standard post-conviction factors and the individual's specific contributions during emergency responses. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) would develop regulations governing how incarcerated firefighters are referred for resentencing consideration. Currently, only courts, CDCR officials, and prosecutors can initiate the resentencing process within 120 days of sentencing or when relevant laws change.

The legislation builds upon existing operations between CDCR and state fire agencies, where carefully screened inmates with less than eight years remaining on their sentences may volunteer for conservation camp assignments. According to CDCR records cited in the bill's findings, these crews played a central role in California's response to the January 2025 Los Angeles County fires, working extended shifts to establish fire lines and remove potential fuel sources. The bill's authors note that multiple incarcerated firefighters have died in the line of duty while performing this high-risk work.