Category: The Beat Without

-Frederick, United States Penitentiary Tucson in Tucson, AZ In this series of essays, I wanted to write for those with loved ones in prison, to give them hope that nothing is impossible. Sadly, most want to believe that, but have resolved to accept the sad, “Fact,” that their loved ones in prison are doomed.  For them, “There ain’t no sunshine.” So, I’m listening to a special version of the song, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” originally by Bill Withers. This version that I have, however, is the Lido Remix, which is a very cool version of the classic song. I’m using this

-James, San Quentin State Prison, CA I have to believe that it’s still possible to stand my life even, to create a better life for myself, one with meaning and worth of living.  At sixty two years old I don’t have a lot to be proud of. I have spent less than a year and a half in the real world since I was 18 years old. There just has to be more to life than these concrete walls, steel bars, and prison blues. I didn’t truly believe that I didn’t think there would be much point in going on

-Scott, Correctional Facility in Chino, CA “The links between a bizarre time perception, and an indeterminate future” There’s a peculiar sort of deformed time experience called inner time where a smaller unit of time, like a day seems endless, and a larger unit of time, like a week seems to pass more rapidly. In the history, of our peoples there are only five distinct social groups known to experience this warped perception of time. World War I POW’s, prisoners in the death camps during the holocaust, chronic tuberculosis patients of the 19th and early 20th century, unemployed coal miners of

-Frederick Mason, USP Tucson in Tucson, AZ To this point, I’ve written nearly six hundred essays from USP Tucson, but before I was sent here, I was writing at other places. In fact, I’ve been writing since about the third or forth grade, on through high school, through college and beyond. But I remember writing a scary story and I did it as a co-op project with a juvenile while in county jail. I didn’t realize how it affected others, but it is a reminder that writers can have an impact on others, even if it’s of the horror genre. 

-Daniel Ballard, San Quentin State Prison, CA When I was younger I had dreams. Then I came to a realization, around fifteen or sixteen years old that I defined a dream of what actually a dream was: just a dream. Nothing more, nothing less, due to the fact that I can lay down tonight, close my eyes and dream of something or someone I have no knowledge of and feel very distant from.  So, my actual dream is a goal, something while I’m wide eyed awake that can be placed and put into a proper perspective. While doing so, I

-Jimmy Lee Bozeman II, Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York To those who take time to read this inscription of a chapter within a book I am currently composing while incarcerated inside a United State’s Federal Correctional Institution. This is concerning The United State’s Justice System, black criminal justice, the African American community and portions of my life as it relates to the three. At this time, I am serving a twelve and a half year sentence for the crime of unarmed bank robbery. My hometown is Kansas City, Missouri. Within the fifty years inside the criminal justice system,

-Marco Garcia, San Quentin State Prison, CA Mistakes are a natural part of life but at times some of us, as myself, could go too far. It’s sad to say but my biggest mistake is the thing that gave me my authentic self. Why you ask? Well, it’s because many of us, as myself, go through life pretending to be something that we are not.  Many of us, as myself, may go through life without the knowledge of change. It may be easier for us to hold onto the shame and pain. Well, the real courage is to change and

-Mark Peacock, Vacaville, CA Glad to hear that the spirit is still alive, and I am very grateful that there are like minded brothers and sisters out there! I wasn’t born until 1962, so I missed out on everything that had happened back then. I had an older brother who grew up then, and he would come home and talk about how things used to be in those days.  Even though they were out of style in the seventies, he would often wear striped bell bottoms and leather sandals. I never asked if they were Birkenstocks or not. He always

-Josiah, California Medical Facility in Vacaville, CA “You don’t have to be a product of your environment. You can be what you want to be.” Lisa Ling  I was raised in an environment filled with gangs, violence, drugs, alcohol and unhealthy relationships. My whole life I felt I was destined to be a part of my hood. When I was growing up and putting in work, I felt like this was what I was destined for. I felt like I wanted to die for this because I was brainwashed to believe. But never was I told, “You have a chance

-James Taylor, Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Milton, FL This poem is written to encourage and inspire others in troubling times. This poem details my life and how I used God to overcome obstacles. My hope is that you the reader will grow a more intimate relationship with God after reading this poem. I pray that you will be able to identify the snares of the devil and resist his wicked ways: “They answered him, we are Abraham’s descendants, and we have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” (John 8:33) When