Category: Piece of the Week

by June, Santa Clara Teach the youth to all my youngstasThere’s more to see than just the blockThere’s more to life then toting glocksBetter play it smartdon’t wanna live yo’ life inside that boxThere’s other ways to get yo moneyYou ain’t gotta serve no one but youYou only get one chance at lifeYou don’t get to do it twiceThe streets ain’t the samethey got infested with these miceBetter stay up out my waybecause the streets ain’t playing niceYou ah prolly lose yo’ rightsOr mess around n’ lose yo’ lifeMight dig yourself a hole so deepthat you could never see the

by Teacher, Santa Cruz An important thing for young people to know in order to be successful is to be yourself and to not try to be someone you are not. Most of the time people will try to be like someone they are not to either impress people or just to try and fit in.  I like to be myself because it is good that people know who I really am. It is also important to be honest when you think you need help, either counseling, anger management classes or more help in school. It’s important to be honest

by Jovaughny, San Mateo If I was to describe my life as a ride it would be a merry go round because I’m in and out of places like going from jail to house to house. It’s been going on all my life.  The thing that bothers me is when my mom died I just lost control of myself. I’ve been stealing and robbing people like I have nothing to lose but I do. Now I’m in jail and I don’t want to be in here but I have to face the consequences. I will be out of here soon

by DG, James Ranch, Santa Clara It’s my lifestyle and my decisions. We had a talk about a year ago. The last time I was at the ranch I called my sister and I was talking to her about all my plans that I had.  When I was out I was telling her how good I wanted to do and how I was going to make a change and all this but the moment I got out I stayed out all night, did some stupid and didn’t tell her about it until later on. I had my mind focused on

by Andrew, San Francisco The thing I most hate to hear is that I act like or resemble my father. I also hate to hear that I am a bad influence or a bad person. The reason I don’t like to be compared to my father is because he was just a bad person in general and also never in my life. I did not ever think that it affected me until I got older and realized that I probably never would have been incarcerated if I had a father figure in my life.  I was getting incarcerated because I

by R, Missoula, Montana I feel helplessMy wrong doings…And I can’t do anything?Lost hope in a lost placeI forget thingsWhat did she look like again?What does being outside feel like?Will I ever be free again?“You can’t do that”“Not allowed”“Stop”“You can’t visit”Fourteen years oldNot allowed to see my parentsNot a single slice of freedomLocked upMy thoughts will wanderBut where will they take me next?Stress valley, crybaby city, hopeless homesIf you’re lucky, one day you’ll wake upFrom this dream…O n e d a y.

by None Of Your Business, Santa Clara I Got sent to South Illinois to live with my pops when I was sixteen. I had a way different mind set then, from now. They told me, “If you want to get out of jail go outta state.”  To me that was a great offer. The only downside was that I had a lot of hatred towards my pops. When he was living out here he was less than 15 miles and he couldn’t see the kid or never did he check up on me.  I felt played that I had to

by PR, Sonoma My dad has never came through or kept to his promises. I guess me and my sisters weren’t his first priority and he never tried to be there for us.  To me, it made me feel alone, neglected, and not worth being with. To be honest, I wish I had an answer because I never knew what was going on in my dad’s mind. I always thought it was because I wasn’t good enough or didn’t turn out as my dad wanted me to look like but to this day, I still don’t know. You know I

by Waiting To Be Given A Chance, Alameda The greatest test life has ever put me though was the system, this institution. I’ve dealt with a lot of things growing up as a black boy in this place we call “life.” I’ve lost friends, family members and myself at times. I was suffering with depression at a point in my life. At times I still do, but it was nothing like becoming a part of the “system.”  I first went to jail in July of 2021. I came to jail on one count of armed robbery and gun charge and

by Jeremiah, Santa Clara I hope for a better life every day, hope my life would change and the people in my life would appreciate me for the lifestyle I live. It’s not my fault I became who I am. I had to raise myself, learn the hard way and take care of my siblings. Life is hard and every day I hope life gets better. I hope I can separate myself from negativity instead of being a part of it.  I want to be able to have a happy life with my baby girl, stop living in a fake