-Daniel “Green Eyes” Galindez Jr, Correctional facility, Stockton, CA My name is Daniel “Green Eyes” Galindez from San Jose, CA. I’ve been locked up since the age of seventeen years old. I’m now thirty-one. I was that at risk youth who was lost to the streets, gang life, criminal ways of thinking, reckless and felt alone. I just want to touch on the topic of domestic violence and some thoughts I have on the matter — to let you know the different forms of DV and to let you know that you are not alone! Reflecting on my life as
Continue ReadingYear: 2024
Make It Count
-Freddy “Mr. Positivity” Huante Jr, San Quentin State Prison, CA Man, hindsight is 20/20. I think back to my life and crimes. I wish so badly I could go back to the day I met Francisco Flores. I wanted to get money by any means, even though if I didn’t have any kind of knowledge of how, I just needed the money and didn’t care if someone got hurt in the process. I have so many regrets even before that. I think back even before I helped take a life from another human being. I think about further back, before
Continue Reading
Volume 29.15/16
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 29.15/16
As Spring brings with it more sunshine, longer days, The Beat Within is back again with another incredible issue for your reading pleasure through the extra hours of daylight. Our longtime friend OT, is back today, with a heartfelt story about asking for help from others. A topic that we can all relate to as I know it is often hard for anyone to ask for help. OT really lays it out in a way we can probably all relate to with the daily struggle. Memories From My Adolescence I remember when I first started high school, I didn’t have
Continue ReadingAwkward
-Sanguine, Santa Cruz I rarely receive any compliments honestly. The times that I do it’s often on my outfits or my taste in music. My usual response goes like, “Thank you.” I feel a little awkward after, like I should’ve said something different or my response was too dry. I don’t really know how to take compliments because, like I said, I rarely receive them. What I find even harder or more awkward is how to respond to people after giving them a compliment. Usually, when I give someone a compliment they usually respond with something like “Aw, thank you,”
Continue ReadingYour Dreams and Aspirations Will Lead You
-Chucky, San Francisco In ten years, if I receive a letter from myself, I will be very surprised and proud of myself that I’ve made it this far. What I would tell my future self is to never give up on your dreams. Your dreams and aspirations will lead you to what is destined. I’ll tell myself to always keep your closest family and friends, and never to give up on them. Family and friends are all we got. What I want to tell myself is that, although you had an extremely rough start with childhood, you can’t let this
Continue ReadingDad, My Favorite Fisherman
-Keith Erickson, Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, CA My Father John Erickson passed away on January 28th, three days before his 73rd birthday. Despite his absence, the memories of my father and childhood fishing trips, have kept my mind and heart afloat. Having spent most of my life incarcerated, I’ll be the first to admit that I’d lost my way in the world. I failed at maintaining the values that he tried so hard to instill in me, and I pushed him away at times the harder he would love me. The last conversation we had before Cancer stole
Continue ReadingFrom the Bottom to the Top
-Jason “Jay”, San Quentin State Prison, CA A powerful person I had met is Bill. He comes in with a bunch of guys to play basketball here in SQ, giving back, treating us as equal, as men, showing us that there are people that do care. If I was a school teacher, I would be a PE teacher. I would teach at a college. I would be mixed with both strict and lenient — just to motivate, push, guide, but also to be a support system. To me, compliments are just a sign of appreciation and respect. The things I
Continue Reading
Volume 29.13/14
Please contact Lisa Lavaysse if you would like to purchase the full PDF or a printed copy of this issue.
Continue ReadingEd Note 29.13/14
Greetings to our Beat Within community near and far! We’re thrilled to have you with us for our latest issue, where our writers tackle topics ranging from quality friendships and being a “grown-up,” to reputations and the right to confidentiality. While we don’t play favorites, we’re confident that this issue of The Beat will inspire our readers to think deeply about our relationship to those closest to us, our world at large, and the person we’re always evolving into. We hope you’ll extend a warm welcome to two of our interns, Mia and Sophie, who dedicated their time and attention
Continue Reading