Category: The Beat Without

by Freddy Huante, San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, CA My name is Freddy Huante, I am currently in prison and wanted to write to you about my own life experiences. As I too have been lost within the Foster Care System. My goal is to inspire you to make better decisions that I did.  Yes, I used to be in your shoes and I made some very poor choices, choices that landed me in prison, serving a term of four life sentences for murder, the taking of a human life, three counts of attempted murder, with one count of

by Harry Goodall Jr., San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, CA For me growing up was hard because I felt I knew everything that life had to offer at the age of sixteen. Why would anyone want to stay young?  At the age of sixteen, I  obtained a fake ID (identification) saying I was 21 years old. Being an adult was a very hard act, one that was worthy of an academy award. The idea of growing up can be a hard decision for most of us. Struggling with personal ignorance was a hard thing to let go. Some of

by Shon Pernice, Moberly Correctional Center in Moberly, MO “Education has for its object the formation of character”- Herbert Spencer 1820-1903 The American prison system is a place that is filled with many dark voices. When you have failed in society, how does one rebuild their sense of self-worth? A day in prison is so rigidly controlled, structured, and dictated that a prisoner loses the ability to make decisions for themselves.  A prisoner does what he or she is told (if they know what is good for them) which is not conducive to the development of strong critical thinking skills.

by Osbun Walton, San Quentin State Prison, CA In truth, from the time of my arrest, when I was handcuffed, it was in that moment I wished for freedom. And in my conviction, my sentencing, was not a hope nor prayer for me to wish for freedom but I did.  Physically, for 28 years I am enslaved behind prison concrete high walls, with gun towers, to secure my physical body within the bounds of incarceration for a time more than my life could endure. Small cages, I and other prisoners are assigned to our unit for an animal captured or

by TruthNPoetry, San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, CA It’s the craziest thingOr should I say, “thang,”Peer pressure, to love myself lesserBy joining a gang,I object on conscious groundsSo I continue to abstain,It bothers me deeplySo many children are slain,So I ain’t down to rideI don’t want to hangI’m only 12 and continuouslyHave to explain, “nah, I don’t bang,”I reject the appealOf living in fearLike TupacI shed so many tearsIntellectually I fail to graspThis fatal seduction,Of willful participationIn self-destruction,Blindly pledging allegianceTo tribal violence andGlamorizing the use of drugs,Abandon my moral compassAdopt the values of a thug,Use gang signs to

by Mr. Francisco “Frank” Gonzalez, RJ Donovan State Prison in San Diego, CA It has been quite a while since I’ve written to the great pages of The Beat Within with a powerful positive message that wow’s you every time. It’s 2022, and the unprecedented pandemic is hard to ignore these days. I’ve traveled this great state from within its prisons from Pelican Bay to the sunny side of RJ Donovan where I now find myself on a level 3 for the first time in my life (incarcerated life of 30 years). To begin with, I do not and did

by Truth N Poetry, San Quentin, CA “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”-Pablo Picasso My gift is using words, poetic expressions which uplifts, heals and informs and if need be create a fire. Most of us have been cautioned since our youth that “words have power,” and if you are not going to say anything nice be quiet.  I choose to use my gift of words to heal and help, rather than hurt others. See owning our power is in every decision. Yes, we all have the power

by Efren Bullard, Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, CA Has there ever been a time in your life where you felt like time was slipping away? For almost three decades I have felt like I missed so much of life that for the first time in my life I thought, why not tell you guys what I’ve been thinking and feeling.  I grew up spending most of my life in Juvenile Camps, California Youth Authority, and Prison. Never really experiencing much of anything. I haven’t really had a meal with my family sitting at a table in my life. We

by Antoine Williams, Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, CA Throughout the course of my 37 years of living I would say half of that time was spent seeking things that I thought were important. When I was a teenager I believed that having a lot of girlfriends, money and street cred were the goals to strive for. Without question, if it was not about these things it did not matter to me. So from the age of 13 to 15 years old I was in the streets with no regard to how my actions would impact me, my family, or

by William Curl, CSATF/ State Prison Corcoran, in Corcoran, CA Hey how’s the people. Been a minute since I wrote. I got two classes for summer college semester. Sociology and History. A lot of reading and writing to add to the schedule.  The other day I was chilling with the fellas going over options in search of ways to motivate the stalled Life Without Parole(LWOP) legislation. The discussion quickly got heavy about how horrible judges were interpreting-enforcing laws that benefit us. One guy went on a really educated dissertation about how the Eight Amendment to the Constitution guarantees us “equal