The Patrick Administration has estimated that, if current criminal justice policies are not changed dramatically, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will have to spend $2 billion in the next seven years, to build 10,000 new prison units, as well as $150 million more each year to fill them. Massachusetts already has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the world – on par with French Guiana and Kazakhstan. There are so few opportunities, and so many barriers to successful re-entry, that most (>60%) of prisoners released from DYS, county jails, and prison recidivate within 3 years.
Meanwhile, we are sliding quickly away from a full-employment economy. Businesses are shedding entry-level and middle-class jobs at an alarming rate, as many functions such as check-out clerk and warehouse operator are automated. Massachusetts has lost 100,000 manufacturing jobs just in the last six years.
Other states – including New York, Washington and Texas – have overhauled their criminal justice systems using practices that are proven effective, and so reduced their prison populations that they have closed prisons, saving taxpayers billions of dollars.
Our Jobs NOT Jails Coalition is building the infrastructure to engage thousands of people in a campaign to stop $2 billion of prison construction, and re-direct those funds into creating good jobs for people in low-income, high-crime neighborhoods.
Since September 2014, we have held regular state-wide meetings each attended by 80-110 people, to strategize and form a collective vision. At one of these gatherings this winter, 85 people came together and finalized our formal vision statement: “The Jobs Not Jails movement advances economic and racial justice by ending mass incarceration and ensuring living wage jobs for all.”
In January 2015, we took a big step toward fulfilling that vision, by working with Sen. Chang-Diaz (Boston) and Rep. Mary Keefe (Worcester) to file The Justice Reinvestment Act: An Act to Increase Neighborhood Safety and Opportunity. This omnibus bill will repeal mandatory minimum drug sentences, reduce certain low-level felonies to misdemeanors, allow compassionate release and end collateral sanctions at the RMV. The second half of the bill establishes a trust fund with the savings from these improvements – which may total over $100 million a year! These funds are earmarked for programs to end the total economic marginalization that so many of us face. These include: job training programs, transitional-job and pre-apprenticeship programs, youth jobs, social enterprises and co-ops, and evidence-based programs that help young people stay in school.
Jail isn’t always the solution and it’s certainly not the only solution. Some people just need a chance to do and be someone different, to do something positive. There is no rehabilitation in incarceration. I know first hand.
How about adding to your agenda a proposal for new legislation to mandate that a full time work-week be, say, 32 hours. Decreased work-weeks are a common solution in civilized countries.
The logic goes this way: more robots + more “outsourcing” = less jobs. Creating jobs is not possible if there is no demand for increased goods and/or services. We cannot “create jobs” when there is no shortage of anything on this planet. There is no long-term job creation paradigm that can be sustained without decreasing the amount of hours worked by each worker.
Even if a 35 hour work-week was legislated to provide full benefits and above which double time would have to be paid, for every 7 jobs, one would be ‘created’ overnight with no extra burden on the environment from increased manufacturing of goods we don’t need. After all, our government is destroying crops and other agricultural products all the time to fix prices for corporations. We don’t need MORE stuff. We need less stuff, actually.
What we need is corporate reform to prevent corporations from abusing their employees. We need humane systems of industry like those in Europe, in countries such as Norway, Sweeden, Denmark, Holland and so on.
Here is an interesting link. Have a read.
https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/03/09/rethinking-the-40-hour-work-week/reduce-the-workweek-to-30-hours
The point directly above is this: Why should we, as a human race, be forced to give all of the benefits of our increased technology and thus the benefit of more efficient production through robotics and automation to the corporate class who is not only forcing us to work more hours for less pay but also taking record profits and salaries, while we see an ever-increasing gap between the rich and poor.
We, as workers, to whom benevolent scientists, engineers and other inventors have bestowed the fruits of their insights in the form of gadgets to enable faster and more efficient production, deserve an equal break from the burden of work. After all, the vast majority of scientists and engineers who have created this technological marvel we call the modern world did not do it to make the common man suffer; but when we, as workers and citizens of our ‘democracy’ allow corporate oligarchs to use this technology only to oppress us and NOT to alleviate our burden, we should take pause, as we are agreeing to suffer what should be a blessing.
Technology, in short, has the potential to give us all a break. Why not push for equal benefit for all from this technology? Why should one person be forced to work 60 hours a week by a psychopathic corporation while another person sleeps under a piece of cardboard on the sidewalk in a frozen American city?
This is madness. This 60 hours could be outlawed, and all of sudden, overnight, two 30 hour, full-time, full-benefit jobs could be created out of one, increasing employment by a full 100% in this microcosmic scenario.
Is it too much to ask that for 30 hours one should be paid the amount of money necessary to enjoy a reasonable comfortable standard of living? Is it too much to as our world planners to create a financial system, an abstraction of numbers in reality, that would represent one unit of manufacture going to the manufacturer, the worker, as it did 100 years ago when there were no robots? why, if it only takes one worker to produce 100 times the product that it used to, does the average worker still need to work the same hours as were fought for by labor struggles in the early 20th century? More products per capita could instead be less people per product, or, in other words, less hours per person. If a person is producing a share of the economy in terms of usable goods and services comparable to that being produced in, say, the 1950’s, but with less hours worked to do so, should she be given a share to that good/service equal to that in the 1950’s, regardless of the hours it took her to produce it?
Our economic system has been manipulated to conceal such fundamentals. Unequal inflation has concealed an increasing inequality over the last few decades. We simply, as a populace, need to demand that we have an economic system that concedes our major advances as a species in manufacturing so we can all take a much deserved break.
Thank you.
It is time for a major overhaul of the criminal justice system in Massachusetts.
The Prison Industrial Complex syndrom is rampant, however, mass incarcerations may have many other conjugated causes, including the economical crisis, the state of mind; the psychosis in which many Official Elected live in; mostly unconsciously; One of the reasons why Occupy exists…
It seems as if Massachusetts are one of the only states that is content with no reform, even the prisons offers no reform, only incarceration.
I was blessed with the opportunity to land a decent job, only to be DISCRIMINATED against because of my past criminal history and the fact i have been recovering from Addiction, although it’s been 15 years, the stigma is still haunting me today.
It also seems, if there are changes made, they are only surface deep
We need to create jobs, and establish a system of restorative justice, not punitive justice. Rehabilitation and jobs training will lead to less recidivism and boost our economy at the same time! We do NOT need to be spending to build new jails–that money should go to training and rehabilitation. The roots of crime are lack of food, housing, education and employment!
I’m writing with hopes of gaining your support regarding an issue I’m facing in and around my community. I was released from federal prison in 2005, after serving 14 mths, for manufacturing counterfeit driver licenses and checks on my computer. I completed three years probation, for three jurisdictions. While doing so, I worked full-time under a cleaning company I established; and completed my certification in paralegal studies with a 4.0 GPA; completed my HIV educator and counseling certification with the State of Michigan Department of Community Health, and began completing two additional degree programs. Since gaining knowledge of political issues: same-sex marriage and homophobia within the church, I was compelled to research. This evoked me to return to college, where I began studying world religions. I learned a great deal about my religion and others’; so much, I filed a law suit against three leading Bible publishers, in 2008, for discriminating against homosexuals.
Well, that was a mistake. Friends of mine began dropping dead like flies. Family members disbursed and ceased communicating. So, I relocated and went to Vegas. I had to register there as a felon, because of past conviction, so I had a troubling time finding work. I eventually had to move back to Michigan. I’ve been back here for three years. Luckily, I’m drawing near the end of one degree program, by two semesters; I’m holding a 4.0 GPA. In the other, I’m less than a year from completing, with a current GPA of 3.53. I now work two part time jobs and try to do everything else I can to better my circumstances.
Sadly, many in my community are against me becoming successful. I’ve had people leave notes with the amount of my checking account balance on the desk; as if they want me to know they are watching me. I’ve had emails deleted and/or rerouted without my consent. I’ve had computers hacked into, emails deleted from my sent folder and countless other things to happen, to me over the past few years.
Just recently, I’ve become the target of police harassment. I’ve gotten three tickets in the last three months, and a warning citation. I don’t have enough funds to relocate at this time. Therefore, I’m looking forward to finishing my two degree programs and relocating, so I can complete my masters at a university on campus and online, while working in my new industry (eMarketing and Computer Maintenance Technology). Question is: How do I avoid being harassed by the local police, who keep harassing me about something that transpired tens ago?
It seems I’m supposed to constantly be subjected to their BS, because of my past. That is it: my past. My past has nothing to do with what I’m doing today, so why should I be held to someone else’s issues, because they think I’m up to no good? Because I go to college online, my community and its leaders, assume I’m just a janitor, who rides around in a new car smoking weed. No one is aware that I’m on the Dean’s list and have been for three years. Or that, I’m getting all A’s and B’s. Or, that I authored two books recently and placed them on a website that I designed from scratch, and now have my books (English version and Spanish) on amazon.com.
I go to the local skating rink, people taunt me; what am I supposed to do about it? I cannot act out because it seems I’ve become a target of law enforcements resentment towards ex-felons. Mind you, I’ve been off probation for more than six years. My last conviction was in 2003. That is the seriousness of my commitment to better my life and circumstances. But all I’m getting here in Michigan, is hate from law enforcement, citizens and co-workers. I have people trying to get my job taken, people trying to destroy my relationship and so much other BS!
So, how do I overcome this obstacle? I’ve contacted Washington about the cars following me around harassing me and flashing their lights on me and trying to run me off the road. I’ve tried virtually everything; I’m tired. I want to finish school, get the hell away from Michigan and begin anew life somewhere else. But how can I achieve this goal, when the police in Michigan are constantly pulling me over and giving me tickets; having people harass me, with hopes that, I act out in a hostile and/or violent manner, so they can arrest me and lock me up? Please give me some clarity on what is best for me at this time. Otherwise, I’m going to continue being stressed out and unable to better my circumstances, in order to get the hell away from this prison trap state: Michigan.
I was attempting to share the link to my website, but have learned that someone has shut it down; this is what I’m talking about. Nevertheless, please view both of my new books at: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/181-3938430-7293067?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Mother%27s+day+poetic
And, you can find my blog at: https://authorblfowler.blogspot.com, to gain clarity on what endeavors I’m pursuing and/or have pursued.
Thank you and I look forward to your response.
Brad Fowler
The largest impediment to successful re-entry to the workforce is the rule so many companies have of “not hiring” people who have a criminal record of any kind. They rarely look at the person, or the nature of the offense, and unilaterally “toss-out” any/all applications based upon as little as one arrest. It’s ultimately unfair, and in all likelihood is one of the major reasons for recidivism into either the criminal justice system, or mental health treatment for depression for those who just can’t seem to “find a way out” or “get an even break”. It’s sad that I have an associate’s degree but I am judged by my past criminal mistakes. I cannot find a gainful employment anywhere! ~Kevin Gallagher 43yrs old.
My name is Nana Younge and I am a member of TLTW which stands for Teens Leading the Way. We are a coalition made up of youth from 5 different cities in the state of Massachusetts which includes worcester, Haverhill, Lowell, Everett, and Boston .We are young people that work toward making a change in our state through policy making.
Currently we are working on a new campaign titled “Expungement”. Expungement means completely erasing a criminal record. Our campaign goal is to make it so that anyone at any age can have convictions expunged from their records if they were sentenced before a certain age. Misdemeanors can be expunged automatically following completion of a court sentence. Felonies can be expunged by petition to a judge following the completion of a court sentence except heinous crimes committed. We are working hard at writing a bill that will include further details in the future, but for the mean time we would like to get our idea out there.
Our team would like to invite your organization to a press statement we are having at the state house in boston on August 13th, from 2pm to 4pm in Nurses Hall. We believe in giving people second chances. Having a criminal record keeps people back from starting fresh and being able to better their lives. We believe that a mistake that someone once made in their lives shouldn’t determine their entire future. We want to give others that opportunity at a second chance. I found out about the important work Jobs not Jail does through your website and through a friend of mine. I see that you do amazing work in the state. I really admire the amazing work you do. I believe that our hopes and dreams as organizations are similar and your support will be greatly appreciated as we take a stand on this issue. My team and I hope you will be able to join us as we take this first step in making a change in our state.
Thank you
Nana Younge
Youth Leader & organizer
Nana, it’s groups like your that give hope to our society. You don’t merely march and publish a list of demands, it sounds like you are rolling up your collective sleeves to fashion / draft legislation that can help act as a change agent for solving some of the deficiencies of our penal system. Keep up the good work (this is my first exposure to this site, so sorry I missed your meetings)
Keep it, you will make a difference.