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Inmates return after breakfast to their confinement unit at Cedar Creek Corrections Centre, near Olympia

Kenyatta Bridges, 34, an inmate and member of Arcadia 20, sets fire to a burn pile during prescribed fire operations near Northport, Washington. The Arcadia programme trains inmates for life after jail. All photos: Reuters

Inmates prepare for forest-thinning activities that aim to reduce the risk of wildfires

A member of the Cedar Creek Corrections Centre crew cuts branches in the Capitol State Forest

Arcadia 20 crew members wait with petrol cans near Northport. The fuel is used to set controlled fires

Washington state is prone to wildfires during the summer

Kenyatta Bridges in a burnt area, near Deer Park. 'The fellas that I've worked shoulder to shoulder with, they're amazing. We all made bad decisions in our life. Some of us got caught, some of us didn't. But we learn from our mistakes.'

Arcadia 20 members hike through the Capitol State Forest. They are recruited into a re-entry centre where they develop firefighting skills

Travis Roberts and Kenyatta Bridges at work with their Arcadia 20 crewmates, digging through ash after a blaze

An Arcadia 20 member feeds a deer outside Cedar Creek Corrections Centre

Kenyatta Bridges shops for groceries for his Arcadia 20 teammates

Prescribed burning operations near Northport, Washington. The Pacific Northwest is struggling with the effects of climate change, with a higher risk of wildfires and a longer season this year

Crew members fill petrol cans during prescribed fire operations near Northport

Crew members during a fire clean-up mission, near Deer Park

Kenyatta Bridges was serving 10 years for manslaughter in a 2014 gang-affiliated shooting in Pasco, Washington, and joined the Arcadia 20 programme. He started a job in a civilian fire crew on June 3, after his release

Kenyatta Bridges plays pool on his day off at the recreation area of Brownstone Re-entry Centre in Spokane, Washington

Inmates return after breakfast to their confinement unit at Cedar Creek Corrections Centre, near Olympia

Kenyatta Bridges, 34, an inmate and member of Arcadia 20, sets fire to a burn pile during prescribed fire operations near Northport, Washington. The Arcadia programme trains inmates for life after jail. All photos: Reuters

Inmates prepare for forest-thinning activities that aim to reduce the risk of wildfires

A member of the Cedar Creek Corrections Centre crew cuts branches in the Capitol State Forest

Arcadia 20 crew members wait with petrol cans near Northport. The fuel is used to set controlled fires

Washington state is prone to wildfires during the summer

Kenyatta Bridges in a burnt area, near Deer Park. 'The fellas that I've worked shoulder to shoulder with, they're amazing. We all made bad decisions in our life. Some of us got caught, some of us didn't. But we learn from our mistakes.'

Arcadia 20 members hike through the Capitol State Forest. They are recruited into a re-entry centre where they develop firefighting skills

Travis Roberts and Kenyatta Bridges at work with their Arcadia 20 crewmates, digging through ash after a blaze

An Arcadia 20 member feeds a deer outside Cedar Creek Corrections Centre

Kenyatta Bridges shops for groceries for his Arcadia 20 teammates

Prescribed burning operations near Northport, Washington. The Pacific Northwest is struggling with the effects of climate change, with a higher risk of wildfires and a longer season this year

Crew members fill petrol cans during prescribed fire operations near Northport

Crew members during a fire clean-up mission, near Deer Park

Kenyatta Bridges was serving 10 years for manslaughter in a 2014 gang-affiliated shooting in Pasco, Washington, and joined the Arcadia 20 programme. He started a job in a civilian fire crew on June 3, after his release

Kenyatta Bridges plays pool on his day off at the recreation area of Brownstone Re-entry Centre in Spokane, Washington

Inmates return after breakfast to their confinement unit at Cedar Creek Corrections Centre, near Olympia

Photo essay: How US state is turning inmates into wildland firefighters

Pioneering programme in Washington helps prisoners to develop skills and prepare for life after they are released

The National

June 14, 2024

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