Testimonial Writings by the Youngest Members of
America's Prison System
While in Juvenile Hall, detained and incarcerated youth are invited to participate in weekly writing
workshops led by The Beat Within which has been publishing and distributing their art, essays and poems
throughout the national juvenile justice system since 1996. The workshops inspire these young writers to
dig deep, and seek meaningful insights through thought-provoking topics, and personalized feedback to
each and every participant.
Producer Susan Stone has taken these original writings, and with the sound design of Malcolm Marshall,
and additional recording support from Lacy Roberts, we found voices and ambient music for the poems and
prose so these young people live out loud, reflecting beyond bars who they are, and who they might yet
become.
Through the guidance and help of support services, mentors, mediators, and educational programs, many
youth return to rewarding and productive lives. They get the hand up they need in order to restore their
lives, and repair the harm to those impacted by their actions.