Category: The Beat Without

-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

-John Sherwood, Red Onion State Prison in Pound, VA Young princes and young queens, you are so much more than any struggle you’ve gone through. You are so much more than the difficult circumstance that you are dealing with. You got to believe in yourself. Even when people that are supposed to love and provide for you are unable to help you, in the way you may need or desire them to, it doesn’t lessen your worth.  There are many people in society that are trying to help you. Most importantly, you have to help yourself! You got to admit

-Johnny Rodriguez, Stockton, CA Developing a healthy life plan helps me stay the course of my personal short and long term goals. Realizing that I am responsible for a realistic healthy life plan empowered me to be accountable and not circumvent my accountability or responsibility for my healthy life plan. Healing my mind of ignorance and the spirit of indecisiveness lets me think out a realistic plan, especially more than one addiction to manage my recovery cultivating my sane judgment and not deviating from reality. Becoming educated was key within drawing upon healthy mental insight to think out a plan

-Ricky Kong, San Quentin State Prison, CA “Every single year, we’re a different person. I don’t think we’re the same person all of our lives.”-Steven Spielberg So true! My body takes longer to recover, I am getting wrinkles, and white hair starts filling my head. I don’t look the same! The way I think, and value has changed. I am not the same person, as I was yesterday.  As a human being we are evolving physically, mentally, and spiritually. We never stop learning. In each moment of our lives, we face many challenges and opportunities. These moments allow us to

-Matthew Graziotti, United State Penitentiary Tucson in Tucson, AZ I spent many years remodeling my small starter home, painstakingly ripping out the old and slowly rebuilding as time and funds allowed. I rebuilt the bathrooms, completely redesigned the kitchen, and replaced all of the closet shelving.  From painting to gardening, I plugged away at the never ending to do list. It was not only fun, but rewarding when a project was finally completed, and I could enjoy the fruits of my labor. There were plants still in starter pots and products still in their original packaging, when all my efforts

-Betty Martinez, Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, CA Hey Beat, this topic is a common thread we all share. If you’re reading this right now, it doesn’t matter how old we are, where we come from, what we look like, or what we identify as, we all can relate to being wrongly assumed upon.  You know what though, you don’t even gotta tell ‘em any different. Do you, be you (the real you) and in time it will come out, their mistake. Holding wrong assumptions can stunt us in getting to know someone for who they really are and

-Michael leak, St. Louis Correctional Facility, MII’ve seen blood stains that don’t wash awayAnd strung out junkies that score everydayI’ve seen little girls get sold for drugsAnd their momma praised these horrible thugsChasing that blow with a check addicted soulStanding on the corner in the middle of the coldThen those little girls grew up into a gangSo visualize the funerals and the songs they sangI speak from black tears that cry the bluesAnd I write my tomorrow’s before the five o’clock newsBecause everything today will repeat once againSo I write my tragedy with a black penI write my tears upon

-Bishop, San Quentin State Prison, CA What if you could spend time with anyone, who would it be? When you think about answering this what if question, picture the person, put a face to that person, and then see yourself with that person doing whatever it is you enjoyed doing before you became the person who you believe you are today. When you do this, ask yourself what would you be doing with that person if that person was someone who knew that there was something special about you and who genuinely believed in all you could accomplish? Where would

-John Sherwood, Correctional Facility in Pound, VA Young princes and young queens, you are so much more than any struggle you’ve gone through. You are so much more than the difficult circumstance that you are dealing with. You got to believe in yourself. Even when people that are supposed to love and provide for you are unable to help you in the way you may need or desire them to, it doesn’t lessen your worth.  There are many people in society that are trying to help you. Most importantly, you have to help yourself! You got to admit that what