Category: The Beat Without

by John Vasquez Sometimes the stress seems unbearable. My younger brother is homeless, and I haven’t seen him in twenty-two years. My mother, who turns sixty this year, is in poor physical health and she must drive three and a half hours just to visit me. Here I am in prison and I can’t do anything about it. I feel powerless to help the people I love, and it stresses me the hell out. I got locked up at sixteen years old and my family has been waiting twenty-five years for me to come home. I’m doing life in prison

by Henry Inocencio I am thirty-eight years old. I have been incarcerated almost fifteen years now. I have a sentence of LWOP (life without parole) plus twenty- five to life for a first-degree murder with drive-by enhancement. I was raised in the Bay Area on the Oakland side of the water. My family was big. Dad’s side was Mexican, mom’s side was white. In the 1980’s life for a kid was fresh and exciting. There was music and break-dancing in the street. All the older people were fun and cool and I gravitated towards those qualities. Then, as if it

by Anson Mooney Who am I? I am a man, a grandson, a son, a brother, a father who is blessed with many talents and gifts. I am an artist and designer. A leader whose direction is only just begun. I am a traveler of both time and space. I am a dreamer with a lack of sleep. I am both the end of my past and the beginning of my future. I am inspiration. I am the pupil of all of life’s lessons. 2. Why am I here? I am here for every opportunity to learn how to love,

by Bednango Harper Not that it really matters, but I nd myself very, very, very disturbed by many of the things that I have witnessed during this time. I hope and I pray that this will be the last time that I will ever be incarcerated. I’ve grown to suspect that my incarceration was preordained by my higher power as a sacri cial expenditure for me to gain the costly knowledge of which is to measure the priceless value of my freedom by. When I look around this room, and I draw upon all that I have come to know

by Tam Huynh My belief system today is the result of years of rebuilding my life, from the once negative beliefs and values I chose when I joined a gang. My joining the gang pushed the belief system and culture of my Vietnamese de ance, and terror. It was the cost of believing this was that caused me to retaliate for being jumped by a rival gang, and kill an innocent man. Today my belief system is built upon these basic principles: A. Higher Power Spiritually B. Living Animals C. Family and its legacy D. Self-Empowerment E. Moral Inventory F.

by Julias Humphrey Let me rst say Thank You for publishing my words for other people to read, especially our young. We all must understand their position in the adversity of life today because it is much harder for them in contrast to when I was a child which brings me to my topic – the “School-to-Prison Pipeline”. What’s the main causation and how do we stop it? Along with this writing you will nd a copy of the response I recently received from President Barack Obama. I wrote him concerning his visit to El Reno Federal Penitentiary (in Oklahoma).

by Jeremy Willis Hello, my name is Jeremy Willis and I am incarcerated in Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, California. I was talking to two of my friends in here and one I’ve known for 12 years now and they both write articles and poems for the Beat Within. They talked me into letting you know my story with hopes that it will change at least one person’s thinking about being in a gang or doing drugs. I was in a lot of group homes in the East Bay for the rst ten years of my life and at ten I

by Trey L. Pike “To have once been a criminal is no disgrace. To remain a criminal is the disgrace” – Malcolm X. Many of us are caught in the cycle of incarceration. Is crime about decisions or is there more to it? For those who believe you have made a change in your life, what helped you to transition into becoming a responsible citizen? For those in the process of transformation, what do you need to help you get out of the criminal lifestyle?” I am 24 years old, covered in tattoos, just paroled from the “notorious” High Desert

by Thomas Weed It’s me, Thomas Weed, once known as Confusing Mind so many years ago when I had the opportunity to participate in workshops ran by Matt and Michael. Now, over a decade later I find myself serving a seven year 8-month sentence because well, I guess I still hadn’t learned my lesson. Having touched each and every part of the criminal justice system, I’ve seen first-hand how broken it really is. From Juvie to Group homes, to County  programs to Prison. Entire novels have been penned by far greater minds than mine, mapping out the school to the prison

by Russ  Once upon a time, I wanted to be just like my dad. He was an outlaw, a tough guy, and was “running things.” When I was nine years old Dad was killed. He had been out of prison for exactly forty-two hours. Two days before he was released, I was removed from the only home I’d ever known, Grandma’s. Turns out my mother had regained custody of my sister and me. I was driven five-hundred miles north and delivered to my mother, who I hardly knew at all. Over the next two months I was notified of not just