In historic first, 8 California incarcerated students earn forestry degrees

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For the first time in state history, eight incarcerated students have earned an Associate of Science degree in forestry, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced. 

Graduation milestone

What we know:

The milestone was achieved on June 26 for those enrolled at the Lake Tahoe Community College Rising Scholars Program, where prison officials shared photos of the graduates in caps and gowns, celebrating at an outdoor graduation party with banquet tables and a lakeside setting. 

A total of eight students, who weren't named, earned the forestry degree, and a total of 23 students obtained a foundational skills certificate or certificate of achievement in forestry.

Many of the graduates also serve as hand crew members in CDCR Conservation Camps in Northern California. 

Rehabilitation success

Why you should care:

In a statement, CDCR said that the graduates represent the "growing impact of higher education paired with workforce development programs in rehabilitation success. 

Studies show that incarcerated people who participate in correctional education are 48 percent less likely to return to prison within three years than those who did not have access to these opportunities, CDCR stated.

Plus, CDCR said people who participated in college courses while at CDCR were 31 percent more likely to have jobs after release. 

And on top of that, CDCR said that incarcerated people who spent a year or longer in a fire camp have the best recidivism outcomes – at a rate of 31.6 percent — compared to fire camp-eligible people who did not participate in fire camps.

Fire camps around the state

Big picture view:

CDCR, in cooperation with CalFire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, jointly operates 30 conservation camps, commonly known as fire camps. 

These fire camps are located in 25 counties across California. All the fire camps are minimum-security facilities and staffed by correctional officers. 

CDCR said the primary mission of the Conservation Camp Program is to support local, state, and federal governments agencies when they respond to emergencies such as fires, floods, and other natural disasters. Hand crews respond to rescue efforts in local parks or flood suppression.

During the Southern California fires of 2025, more than 1,110 people incarcerated throughout the state helped Cal Fire battle the Eaton and Palisades fires, the largest and most destructive of about a half-dozen fires that burned in the Los Angeles area in the past two weeks. Many earned less than $30 a day. 

"We always talk about how it’s an injustice and we’ve never addressed it," California Assemblymember Isaac Bryan said at the time, while also introducing a bill that would pay incarcerated people the same as the lowest-paid non-incarcerated firefighter on the frontlines. "I think it’s appropriate for us to have a conversation about what equity looks like even in the midst of a natural disaster."

The bill, AB 247, passed into law and boosts the pay rate for incarcerated hand crew members in California to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Before this, incarcerated firefighters averaged about $1 a day. 

The Rising Scholars Program was established in 2015 by Director Shane Reynolds, serving incarcerated students in California’s correctional facilities. The program has since expanded to serve adults and juveniles that are currently or formerly incarcerated in Northern California.