One thing you gotta say for the Jobs Not Jails (JNJ) campaign is that they have created an amazingly strong organizing effort on the ground. And no matter how many people actually show up on April 26–hopefully thousands–they have done a great job educating people who might not have heard the word about mass incarceration.

On that day, from 1-4pm, activists, union organizers, students, religious groups, politicians, business folk, former prisoners, and those in recovery will head to the Boston Common Bandstand to rally for jobs instead of prison construction. Then on April 30, JNJ plans to ring round the State House orange banners with the names of some 25,000 who have signed on to stop prison building: each name standing for a vote against a new prison bed and a vote for job creation. That day they plan to lobby legislators for some of the criminal justice bills already on the table including ending mandatory minimum sentencing; ending collateral sanctions and fees regarding prison phone service and driver’s license suspension; reforming classification, levels of punishment, and parole; providing access to rehabilitative services; and shifting the system as a whole by reforming pretrial services and establishing restorative justice practices in Massachusetts.

JNJ has just announced a list of the speakers for the rally on April 26. Those items/names in bold below are confirmed, and those in italics include issues to be addressed, but names of speakers for those issues were not yet confirmed as of this post.

According to Steve O’Neil, executive director of Ex-Prisoners and Prisoners Organizing for Community Advancement (EPOCA), the idea of JNJ came about after many across the state fought against Three Strikes legislation in 2012. O’Neill wanted to build on that groundswell and said in an interview that it was “a realization that for deep-seated change to occur in the criminal justice system, more coalition and leadership building were needed.” He added that “It is not just about flaws in CJ system…It is also about the hollowing out of labor in our economy—We are not even doing job training anymore,” and  it is especially difficult for those with criminal records to get jobs, he said.

On their website Jobs Not Jails lists some initial and far-reaching goals of the campaign against mass incarceration:

Cassandra Bensahih, a Community Organizer for EPOCA, and MC for the day of the rally, is a former prisoner who describes herself as “hooked” on the way EPOCA does organizing. She appreciates the second chance they gave her and has spoken all across the state to get signatures and raise awareness. She said in an interview she feels the current Jobs Not Jails campaign is a significant part of a movement to end mass incarceration because “it addresses racism and poverty and looks at legislative reform.” For her, it’s important for her kids to have a better life; she is particularly interested in diversion to treatment for drug offenders instead of jail.

While there are more than 100 organizations which have signed on as supporters of JNJ, an active group also fighting for job creation is the Youth Jobs Coalition (YJC), with branches in Worcester, Brockton, and Boston. Founded by Dan Gelbtuch, YJC is a coalition of 40 youth and community groups from across the state which work together to create more employment opportunities for teens—especially difficult in a sagging economy.

Keturah Brewster, a senior at Boston Latin and lead organizer for YJC who will speak at the rally has been tirelessly collecting signatures on JNJ petitions. She experienced racial discrimination when she and her friends were just hanging out harmlessly in Boston. She described, in an interview, how police officers ambushed three of her male friends and beat up one, and watched as they were whisked away to jail; one was accused of assaulting an officer. She is worried about the racial issues in incarceration. Likewise, Devens Archer, another YJC activist is concerned about incarceration of youth, and also about job opportunities after prison. He said he’s trying to collect 1000 signatures.

O’Neill said that many legislators think their constituents are uneducated and maybe even unconcerned about these issues, but “They’re wrong.” Each person who shows up or signs a petition, he said, demonstrates the strength people have to lobby for change and demand public spending to create jobs rather than prison cells.

For more on JNJ thoughts on job creation, see here, and come to the rally on April 26!