Like you could have a felon convicted of child rape sign up to fight a forest fire and die. Would he be a hero?
He may have just signed up to get some time out of jail, or maybe they are willing to reduce his sentence some for fighting the forest fire. Does the “why” factor in at all? What about the general character of the person?
Edit: there is no “right” answer. Just your opinion. And that is what I am looking for.
A definition I heard and considered useful included a few required elements. A hero:
This excludes most military and first responders, such as the prison laborers in your hypothetical. Hero is not a profession. Heroes also can’t have any moral or legal duty to the rescued, such as pulling victims out of the fire you started yourself.
You can’t be a hero by saving others incidental to saving yourself. A hero must have had the safe option to merely be a bystander to the emergency.
Heroes don’t have to die in the act of heroism, but they must have been cognizant of that possibility and chosen to act in spite of the risk.
You can’t be a hero by saving your children, or anyone you have a duty to protect, or anyone you expect to be able to reward you in the future.