A state judge on Thursday struck down Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's furloughs of correctional officers, who have been working on furlough days and banking the unpaid time off.

Judge Frank Roesch of Alameda County Superior Court ruled that the governor's furlough order violated state law. He ordered the state to pay the prison workers for the unpaid hours they have worked.

To save money, Schwarzenegger last summer began furloughing for three days a month nearly every category of state worker.

"We're gratified by the affirmation of the court that the governor was violating wage and hour laws," said Lance Corcoran, a spokesman for the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn., which filed the lawsuit. "In essence, you can't expect people to work for free."

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