Female inmates fight some of California's biggest fires

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Firefighting inmates are nothing new--they've been helping California's fire department since World War II, but few realize that some of these inmates are actually women. Instead of serving their sentence in a traditional prison, these women are held at fire camps where they are trained and sent to fight some of the state's biggest fires. Malibu Fire Camp 13 sits on top of a winding canyon. The cabins, where the women sleep, are neatly nestled on one side of the camp. There is no real fence and plenty of open space. Malibu Fire Camp 13 looks nothing like a state run prison, but more like a summer camp. Even though it may look like summer camp, the work these women do is nothing short of grueling. The women are held to the same physical standards as the men. They go on daily 3 mile hikes in the Malibu mountains with heavy backpacks strapped to their backs. If these women fail to complete the hike in a certain period of time they are sent back to prison. 

Fire camps are largely considered successful programs. And In September, the LA County Board of Supervisors signed a 27 million dollar contract to send hundreds more inmates to fire camps.