The Beat Within

by Jeremy Willis Hello, my name is Jeremy Willis and I am incarcerated in Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, California. I was talking to two of my friends in here and one I’ve known for 12 years now and they both write articles and poems for the Beat Within. They talked me into letting you know my story with hopes that it will change at least one person’s thinking about being in a gang or doing drugs. I was in a lot of group homes in the East Bay for the rst ten years of my life and at ten I

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

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

by Russ  Once upon a time, I wanted to be just like my dad. He was an outlaw, a tough guy, and was “running things.” When I was nine years old Dad was killed. He had been out of prison for exactly forty-two hours. Two days before he was released, I was removed from the only home I’d ever known, Grandma’s. Turns out my mother had regained custody of my sister and me. I was driven five-hundred miles north and delivered to my mother, who I hardly knew at all. Over the next two months I was notified of not just

By Cristian Bost I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart by getting my message out there. When you guys sent me the November publication of The Beat Within with my short message, it made my day.  The majority of these kids are going through the same thing I went through as a child, from feeling abandoned, to feeling nobody cared about me and that I had nothing to lose, but that is why they need to know people do care about them. I am sending you this drawing I did to show my appreciation for