Several of our dispatchers and ambulance drivers in Florida have been through work release programs. You'll also find them working in many jobs throughout the communities and not just the road crews.
During some of the hurricane evacutations, the inmates have also been recruited to care for the elderly placed at the jails for shelter.
I don't know if we still use inmates from the central FL prisons for additional fire crews but that is common in California. A few states also allow inmates to staff the ambulances.
http://www.dcor.state.ga.us/NewsRoom/PressReleases/050323b.html