What jobs are available for 14-year-olds in California?

How are prisoners assigned to jobs in California prisons?

• There are different jobs prisoners can have in California state prisons. They pay differently. I'm wondering how do people get assigned those jobs.

• Answer:

  First, Pay numbers. As people parole out of prisons they leave an open pay number. Job positions in prison are called “pay numbers.” These numbers are limited and vary in pay rate. On the low end it’s about 9 cents an hour, while the higher end is generally 1 dollar an hour.  The higher the pay, the lower the number of “numbers.” Even rarer are the joint-venture jobs which pay minimum wage, are very hard to get and yes- they are garnished to pay for room and board, Federal, State, and local taxes, restitution fines or victims compensation, family support, and auto deposits into a mandatory Inmate savings account. http://calpia.ca.gov/Inmate_Development/JointVenture.html Jobs are generally assigned in two ways 1.)   Institutional need.  Usually this is the least preferred way of getting a job. A non-working person will receive a ducat (like a hall pass) during the evening’s mail call with a time and cryptic location to report to the next day.  That’s how it goes for most new arrivals that haven’t yet felt like getting a job on their own. 2.)   Requested assignment. A smaller number of new arrivals and many of the longer termed people tend to request specific assignments. Kitchen cook, rec porter, education clerk, and Caltrans work crew – for example. Certain jobs like the Caltrans crew require that you are cleared to go outside the “walls” and “gates” while others like an education clerk assignment may require that your conviction not be related to computer fraud/identity related crime.   An example of a “great prison job” (requested) would be my old one, STAND UP Lead Clerk at San Quentin (education rehabilitation program.) I earned $54 a month building and administering my own custom MS Access applications to support in the efforts of the “free staff” running the program. An example of a not so great job (institutional need) would be my first job making lunch bags at 4am for 9 cents an hour. Your general eligibility for the types of jobs you qualify for are determined and sometimes assigned directly during a “classification” session. These are held for every individual about once a year (more-or-less). To transfer from a kitchen to MVB (vocational training) you’ll need to be re-classified. Likewise, to switch to a factory job in PIA (Prison Industry Authority) you’ll also need to be re-classified. 3.)   The “almost not even worth thinking/talking about it” -Joint venture. To work in joint venture you first sign up on a list posted in a mainline building (North Block, at San Quentin). Then you wait five or six years and check where you are on the list by that point (seriously), maybe you'll wait a little longer. When a position opens up and you are next on the list, you’ll be vetted by the person responsible for appointments to that job. Many determinant factors will come into play and you may or may not get the job.   Luckily, you can still work other jobs while you wait to see if you can score a great paying job.   Also worth mentioning, things like what you have done with your time and your disciplinary record will hold some influence. So taking the opportunity to get a GED, an Associate’s Degree from Patten University, do self-development work in any of the many great programs at SQ or qualifying to join The Last Mile will make you a really good looking candidate.