I'm going to start up this blog, like many others, about life inside prison, but unlike many others, focused on prison farm life, by going state by state, starting on the west coast.
California inmates wear blues, like they have for a long time, though the prison jeans are now more scrub like and have an elastic waist, and the shirts are definitely more scrub like. I'm not a huge fan of prison scrubs. I think they work fine in infirmary or solitary settings, but even though prison scrubs can be tougher and a bit less nice looking that medical scrubs, I don't think they are appropriate for hard labor. Looking at costs, prisons don't seem to save a whole lot on scrubs as opposed to work pants and shirts or even jumpsuits. Scrubs convey an image of "house and forget".
Denim, especially heavy weight denim, is where it is at. At least California still wants them look like they are in blues.