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Continue ReadingYear: 2017
Broken Crayon Still Colors
by Son Nguyen I like the saying, “Broken Crayon Still Colors,” because it could help us see things from a more positive perspective, especially during difficult times. Being locked up no matter where we are at, whether it is in juvenile hall, jail or prison, it is easy to get discouraged. We are stuck behind concrete walls, while the world on the other-side carries on without us. We have been banished from the rest of society. People who we were once close to start to forget about us, while others have turned their backs on us. Confinement often causes people to
Continue ReadingI Control My Own Destiny
by Tomi From the day I got out of my Mom’s womb to the day they bury me six feet under, I’m in control of my destiny. I believe no matter what circumstances we lie in or how bad we got it, our life is de ned by our decisions. My decision making in the past got me where I’m at now but I won’t let my past dictate my future. I control my own destiny, so with that being said, I declare myself accountable for the steps I’ll take to get there. I see myself being “the man” when I
Continue ReadingVOLUME 22.31/32
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingDear Friend
Angelo J. Vasquez I’m writing you from prison like l always. I’ve been here since I was sixteen years old and I’m twenty-seven now. It’s truly amazing that I’m not dead. My life wasn’t ruined when my mother and father got a divorce when I as five years old. No that just meant more presents and two bedrooms. It was when I first began to smoke weed. When I was a nine-year-old boy I began to smoke rock, meth and PCP. I couldn’t be sober once I started. I began to steal from my family, anything of value was going
Continue ReadingMy Last Hugs
by Rh Remembering my last hug before I got locked up makes me upset. I hugged my little brother and told him I love him. Turned around and told my sister the same thing. She hugged me tight and called me her sweetheart, before I walked out the door not knowing what was waiting for me. My house was surrounded before it was raided, I turned back to see my sister crying, panicking not knowing what’s happening to her baby brother. I got locked up right in front of her.
Continue ReadingChange Yourself and Change the World / JJIE /The Beat Within
Greetings Friends!! Today our wonderful long time partners over at the JJIE (Juvenile Justice Information Exchange), based in Kennesaw, Georgia, have picked up and posted a powerful letter/submission, that was originally published in The Beat Within, from juvenile lifer Michael Arreygue, who wrote this magnificent piece from Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad, California. He states; “All of us during our lives as children, adolescents and eventually adults need some encouragement. As the individuals we are, we tend to learn differently, have different perspectives and take risks on different levels. For those like myself, words of encouragement were really needed in my life to fulfill my
Continue ReadingVOLUME 22.29/30
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingWhat Does Success Look Like for Me?
by Anthony B For me, success has many different ways that it can be viewed or displayed. One thing for sure is the fact that my current situation does not at all de ne success; but what I do with the time while I am con ned will de nitely lead towards success. Taking my life one day at a time. By not wasting time, so that I can achieve my desired or favorable outcome. For example: Me living a productive life with a happy family, no longer being a resident in this jail, or any other correctional facility. Being
Continue ReadingChild of the Ghetto
by Lil Bane Forgiving is hard, especially forgiving ourselves. I’ve always been the type of person to hold grudges and make silent moves, but when it comes to forgiving myself I just can’t do it. I feel like the reason people believe in God is the idea that God can help them forgive themselves, but God has abandoned me. So many choices from my past are coming back to haunt me every night. It’s like I’m living in a horror movie. I can never forgive myself for the things I’ve done since a young age. The streets swallowed me and
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