California’s century-old prisoner firefighter program is drawing fresh criticism as hundreds of incarcerated people have been deployed to fight the deadly wildfires in the Greater Los Angeles area.  As of Thursday, 783 incarcerated firefighters were working around the clock to help slow the spread of the massive blazes as part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Fire Camp Program. The state is one of at least a dozen that operate these fire camps and deploy incarcerated people to fight fires. Last year, California voters rejected Proposition 6, a ballot initiative to ban involuntary labor in prisons and jails, which includes bringing incarcerated people in to help fight wildfires when there are not enough professionals to help. The proposition failed despite having the support of Democratic leaders, advocacy groups and labor unions.  The deadly conditions of L.A.’s fires have prompted California residents to criticize the CDCR’s fire program for undercompensating prisoners entering harm’s way.  A significant number of “fire fighting crews are incarcerated individuals,” some of whom “don’t even have access to fire fighting jobs after release,” one person wrote on X. Another added that incarcerated firefighters “are trained & given the choice, but are paid a pittance” and are likely to be injured while serving.  The program pays prisoners up to $10.24 per day with the opportunity to earn more during active emergencies, according to the CDCR.  In order to be eligible for the fire program, prisoners have to be deemed physically and mentally fit, they must have eight years or less on their sentence, and they cannot have convictions like arson or sexual violence, according to the CDCR. Working in the program can earn time off their sentence for each day they serve on a fire crew, and some prison workers can have their records expunged. Some critics have said the program is exploitative because incarcerated firefighters must choose between lowered sentences or risking their lives.   A CDCR spokesperson confirmed in a statement that the number of incarcerated firefighters and said the workers “are proud to be embedded with CAL FIRE personnel to protect lives, property, and natural resources in Southern California.” At least 24 people have died in the destructive wildfires and roughly 180,000 have been forced from their homes, authorities said. Strong winds and dry conditions bolstered the blazes that have swept through 40,000 acres in the Greater Los Angeles area and destroyed entire communities and more than 12,300 structures. The program began in 1915 with the state routinely calling on incarcerated people to fill personnel gaps.  Lori Wilson, the California Assembly member who spearheaded Proposition 6, said she’s spoken with incarcerated people who say many love the work they do as firefighters, but they wish they were paid more. “They find it truly rewarding and enriching,” Wilson told NBC News. “It’s something they are extremely proud of. We’re fighting to have additional wages, and to be fairly compensated. Not only in adequate wages, but once they leave incarceration, being able to use that service for further employment.” “There’s an imbalance there that needs to be resolved,” she said. A 2022 report from the American Civil Liberties Union and the University of Chicago’s Global Human Rights Clinic found that prisoners, who received little to no pay, produced more than $2 billion of goods and commodities a year.  “When you’re placed into a position of extreme oppression and exploitation, it’s like the opportunity to be outdoors versus being in a concrete cage with iron bars. People will take that,” said George Galvis, co-founder and executive director of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, an organization working to curb youth incarceration and criminalization.  “So you can say that it’s a voluntary program, but there really isn’t a lot of choice when you’re not provided very many choices. It’s exploitative,” Galvis said. Matthew Hahn, who spent nine years in prison, wrote in an essay for The Washington Post in 2021 that criticisms of the fire camps are valid, but doing the dangerous work “was better than being in prison.” He said some prisoners often dream of joining a fire program. “The conditions in California prisons are so terrible that fighting wildfires is a rational choice. It is probably the safest choice as well,” he wrote. Hasan Piker, a popular leftist streamer who amassed a large following on social media as a political creator, uploaded a video Sunday speaking with incarcerated firefighters in California. His video only bolstered the online conversation about the fire programs.  “We’re the backbone of the operation,” one man told Piker. “We get out there and we do the hard work. … We get the rough and tough end of the stick.” Another man, who identified himself as “Kimbo,” said he is part of the Growlersburg Conservation Camp of Georgetown, California. He said he makes about $5 a day, averages about $180 a month and often works 24-hour shifts.  He said he and his team work with hand tools, “we’re the foot soldiers. We’re scraping brush, we’re using chainsaws,” he said.  “It takes hours and hours. We go where the bulldozers can’t get to. We go into tight spaces, real steep, where a bulldozer would fall if it would try to go up there,” he said, adding that the workers endure strenuous manual labor for very little pay. “It’s dangerous. I have to dodge rocks sometimes.” California Wildfires 23 hours ago Firefighters from Mexico get ready to battle Palisades Fire California Wildfires Jan 12 ‘A nightmare, a horror movie.' Video shows alarming spread of Eaton Fire Like Hahn, Kimbo said the work may be dangerous, but it’s better than the alternative. “It’s way better than” being in prison, he said. “I was in the prison yard, I’m seeing guys get stabbed, get jumped, get beat up. Cops treat us like s—. But here we get better treatment. They talk to us like humans. We got a job. We’re underpaid, but we got a job.” Camp officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the incarcerated firefighters’ conditions. They can apply to work for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire, after their release, according to the CDCR. “But then they struggle with background checks and things of that nature,” Wilson said. “There are still a lot of barriers that keep them from being able to fully utilize that.” This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News: L.A. wildfires leave diverse and historic Altadena in ashes and rubble Smoky air and ash blanket L.A. as forecasts predict stronger winds Southern California Edison accused in lawsuits of failing to prevent Eaton Fire