Greetings readers! Welcome to issue 23.21/22! We are thrilled to have you readers back for another edition of The Beat Within. There is something for everybody in our magazine and we hope you find the inspiration and connection you are looking for. Inside you will find plenty of writings from our community workshops, our sessions inside the various juvenile halls we visit, the SF County Jail and a number of pieces from our thoughtful writers from state prison.
This week, it is a pleasure to welcome back the reflections of two of our recent high school interns at the Urban School of San Francisco. Our interns have been working to transcribe writings that come to us through adult institutions, that we publish in The Beat Without section. This week, Nick, who has been working with us for the past two years now, shares with us the impression of what reading about life in prison has had on him. While, Tikloh, who is also a returning intern, criticizes the media’s perpetuation of negative stereotypes and its failure to hold our society and government accountable for the creation of these stereotypes. Thank you so much to both Nick and Tikloh for your dedication and contribution to The Beat! Enjoy the following essays!
A Shattered Image
Before I started working with The Beat Within last year, I had a very one-dimensional view of those that are or who have been incarcerated. I wasn’t able to look past their criminal records and I had a hard time humanizing them.
Having worked with The Beat Within for two years now, I can safely say that image of the incarcerated has been shattered. My eyes have been opened by the pieces I have read and transcribed, and they have allowed me to expand my view of incarceration and the injustices within the prison system here in the United States.
I was especially affected by stories of the broken childhoods that led to the bad choices and the stories just made me more thankful for the life that I have and allows me to empathize with those that are not as fortunate. I was able to learn about life in prison, and I was struck by just how monotonous and dangerous it can be, especially in the overcrowded prisons here in the United States. The stories of gang violence contrasted drastically with the stories of utter boredom. I was saddened by the thought that these people, many of whom made a simple mistake, are forced to waste away in prison and watch life pass them by.
I have found that I am able to see incarcerated people as much more than simply people in prison. Transcribing their stories has given me a window through which I can see into their lives before or beyond their time in prison. I have read everything from the loss of loved ones, to the delivery of a child, and this variety of experiences has given me a more complete picture of what happened in the lives of inmates before they began serving their time.
I also learned about myself as I read and transcribed these stories. While it was hard for me to relate to the actual experiences of the people whose pieces I read, I discovered that the issue of prison reform is actually very important to me.
Before working with The Beat Within, prison reform wasn’t even on my radar as a social issue, but it has become one of the most important to me thanks to The Beat Within. I am so glad I was able to work with The Beat Within again this year and I hope I am able to continue to work with them to share their stories.
-Nick, Urban School of San Francisco
Media’s Negative Representation
Through my experience doing this work, I feel very lucky to be able to read and hear these first-person narratives about the lives of the incarcerated population of America. Prior to this experience, me and all of my peers had not had the opportunity to hear any voices or perspectives from incarcerated people.
Until my junior year when I began volunteering for The Beat Within, I have only been exposed to the representation of prisoner and convicts through the way that today’s media and society portrays them as. I have seen this as a very negative representation which shines a very bad light on the entirety of this population.
Through this experience I have learned how different every person is and how they all came from lives similar to the ones we live, events and life struggles along the way have driven these people into a less fortunate situation. The people I am reading from can be anyone that I see in my everyday life, only they have been placed in an unlucky situation that others may have avoided and this might be due to social issues, such as race and social class.
I have also come to understand how significant these social issues are in the process of incarceration and law enforcement. Some of the stories I have read and transcribed have very important messages in them that I am glad to be able to help share with the world and share with other inmates to inspire them to contribute in similar ways.
When I started volunteering for the Beat Within last year, I was able to meet with the founder of the organization named David Inocencio who drew me into the program. I feel that I am doing very rewarding work as I am helping spread a level of awareness for an underrepresented issue, but at the same time it is very enjoyable given that I am able to just read extremely interesting and insightful stories for my job here.
While I am volunteering for The Beat Within through my school’s curriculum, I have also been able to use this work as additional experience for pursuing my interest in journalism and magazine publication. This experience has helped me achieve goals that will continue to shape my education and life for the next several years, so I am hoping that I can maintain the positive and mutually beneficial relationship I have with The Beat Within.
-Tikloh, Urban School of San Francisco
We are incredibly grateful for Nick’s and Tikloh’s essays. We are thankful for their time and work and want them to know our doors will always be open to them if we can be of service or if they would like to continue to support our mission and work. This goes to everyone out there reading this note. We welcome the chance to collaborate and build community. Please do not hesitate to reach out.
Please enjoy this latest issue of The Beat Within. We are sure it will not disappoint. Thank you all for your time and work. Our fabulous community of writers and readers are amazing!