Words Do Hurt

The Beat Without

by Patrick Demery, San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, CA Richard Wright in the novel, Native Sun, “You’re trying to believe in yourself and every time you try to find a way to live, your own mind stands in the way.”  You know what that is? It’s because others have said that you were bad and they make you live in bad conditions. When a man hears that over and over and looks about him and sees that life is bad, he begins to doubt his own mind. His feelings drag him forward and his mind, full of what others

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Dear At Risk Youth & Foster Children of America

The Beat Without

by Freddy Huante, San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, CA My name is Freddy Huante, I am currently in prison and wanted to write to you about my own life experiences. As I too have been lost within the Foster Care System. My goal is to inspire you to make better decisions that I did.  Yes, I used to be in your shoes and I made some very poor choices, choices that landed me in prison, serving a term of four life sentences for murder, the taking of a human life, three counts of attempted murder, with one count of

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Ed Note 27.37/38

Editor's Note

Twenty-six years of service!  What an amazing journey it has been for all of us involved with The Beat Within. It is hard to believe we have been doing this good work, day in and day out for this long.  We have had the great privilege of meeting so many amazing people, inside and outside, along the way.  We have all learned so much about ourselves, our communities and our neighbors through these meaningful interactions we have had over the years. We strive to be the best program possible, first and foremost to the youth we serve, and to our

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Stop the Gun Violence

Piece of the Week

by Spazz, San Francisco We got to stop using guns to kill each other and use them to protect and hunt. We got to stop it by not tripping off gangs and stuff because you think that you own that block.  But, you don’t own it. It is going to be there when you are gone and thousands of years later. We need to come together and make one whole together. We got the most power people can have, but we kill each other over a number or color. You can stop it by not joining a gang and teach

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If You Only Knew

Piece of the Week

by Stitch, San Mateo  I wish they know that I am a person that questions everything. I am a person with a lot of anxiety. I am a person with a huge heart. I tend to question all the little things that don’t really matter.  For example, when someone is  suddenly nice to me I ask myself, why? Then I sometimes replay that whole interaction in my head. I do my best to look for their true intentions. I am also a person that has a lot of anxiety. I get anxious easily. Sometimes when I have some type of

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The Best Group Home

Piece of the Week

by BS, Sacramento Five years ago, I was twelve and I lived in a group home in San Rafael. The group home was called St. Vincent School for Boys. It was a level fourteen at the time, and there were five different houses next to each other. They had a basketball court outside, down the hill. It had four different hoops. I used to play basketball all day, even if it was raining.  They also had a track field with an oval shape grass area in the middle. They also had a horse program, and I had a job, and

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Growing Up

The Beat Without

by Harry Goodall Jr., San Quentin State Prison, San Quentin, CA For me growing up was hard because I felt I knew everything that life had to offer at the age of sixteen. Why would anyone want to stay young?  At the age of sixteen, I  obtained a fake ID (identification) saying I was 21 years old. Being an adult was a very hard act, one that was worthy of an academy award. The idea of growing up can be a hard decision for most of us. Struggling with personal ignorance was a hard thing to let go. Some of

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Metamorphosis of the Mind, Prison Education Programs

The Beat Without

by Shon Pernice, Moberly Correctional Center in Moberly, MO “Education has for its object the formation of character”- Herbert Spencer 1820-1903 The American prison system is a place that is filled with many dark voices. When you have failed in society, how does one rebuild their sense of self-worth? A day in prison is so rigidly controlled, structured, and dictated that a prisoner loses the ability to make decisions for themselves.  A prisoner does what he or she is told (if they know what is good for them) which is not conducive to the development of strong critical thinking skills.

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