Year: 2018

Anxiety

Piece of the Week

by Young One The greatest challenge I have to deal with is anxiety. My anxiety keeps me up at night and worrying all day. I haven’t found anything to help my anxiety except sports. But as soon as that’s over, it comes right back. When I suffer from my anxiety, I get anxious and it’s hard for me to function. I try not to cry and stay strong, but at nighttime I tend to cry and struggle in the sense that I’m by myself and no one can see me at a weak point. And when something big comes up,

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My Message to You All

The Beat Without

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

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What’s up Beat and Beat Readers!

The Beat Without

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

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