What would an ideal society look like? Normally this question is left to philosophers, priests and kings. But incarcerated young people think a lot about the kind of world they live in versus the kind of world they wish was there. One thing almost all seem to want is a society that is more ordered and safe, one in which everyone has a place and everyone matters. These responses are excepted from "The Beat Within," a weekly newsletter by and about incarcerated youth in San Francisco and Oakland, California, published by Pacific News Service.

The "ideal society" is usually a topic for philosophers and pundits, priests and kings. But when we talked to young people locked up in juvenile halls, we found they think a lot about the way society ought to be.

Many tried to define an ideal in contrast to the real world they see:

"There is no such thing as a perfect world unless we go back to the time of creation (Adam and Eve). The world in 1997 operates on poverty, AIDS, sex, drugs, crime, death, and violence. Presidents get elected because they say they can cut the rate of those things but as long as there are crackheads and fiends, drugs will be sold and people will kill over a street corner. Poverty comes from many different things -- drug addiction, gambling, etc. -- and there will always going be someone who has more than the other. " - The Professor.

"My ideal world would be nothing like this world. Hate and evil wouldn't exist, there would be no violence or prejudice. Everybody is equal, even kids and adults. There would be school, love and jobs for everyone. There's no need for money because money is the root of all evil. Freedom is the key -- there wouldn't be jail for kids or adults. A world like this will never exist but I can still dream." - Robert

"In my society there would be no poor, no suffering, no homeless people. Everyone would work- especially all men so they could take care of their families. Schools would be a fun learning environment so no students will want to cut. There would be easy jobs for those with learning disorders "There would be jails, but no one would be in them because everyone would be livin' well. Police would be around, but people would solve their own problems. There would be no racists in my society. Everyone would live equal and be treated equal and with much respect." - M.K.

"In my society everyone would be equal. There would be no good or bad person, no racism between the shades of different people. Everyone would be wealthy, so there would be no homeless people. All the schools would be big with nice classrooms and clean bathrooms. Teachers wouldn't get disrespected because the children would be very respectful to everyone ‹ even kids smaller than them." - Brandie

Some drew utopian pictures -- though not necessarily a utopia everyone would recognize.

"An ideal society to me is a giant plot of land with every fruit and vegetable known to man grown in abundance. The inhabitants would all be connected on a spiritual level to make people never feel the need to go against each other." - Shane

"My society would be a simple world. People could do what they wanted to, like drink champagne or smoke pot. The only thing I wouldn't let go is killing. I would let everybody do the work they wanted as long as they were good at it. For pollution I would is pay homeless people to clean things up and give them food to eat. " - Cartoon

"I would legalize weed for 18-year-olds and up. No guns, no rifles or other weapons -- if you want to kill somebody you would have to do it with your bare hands. Jobs would be the same, but there would be no police, P.O.'s or other law people because there would be no crimes. We should have kings and queens -- not to enslave people, just to make sure nothing goes wrong. The people would love me as king because I would treat them right." - Ric

"I would have a chaotic world with everything going crazy, forests of dank plants running wild everywhere. There would be no police force, for there would be no violence because we would give everybody enough money to live lavishly.

"There wouldn't be any schools, for everybody would be set for life. There would be drive-through food stores and restaurants ready to give you free food. There would be no workers just robots giving you anything you desire, and cannabis clubs on every block. That would be the perfect world."

- Reed

One repeated theme involves control.

"My ideal society would be like what we have but more strict. There would be more police to wipe out all the criminal people. Minors would have to graduate from high school or else they wouldn't be able to get one single job. People would have to treat each other with respect or take the chance of going to jail because there would be a law against disrespecting people and a law against racism." - Red

"My ideal society would be formed by control. If we could control our emotions most of us wouldn't act on impulse. People would live a happy life, with no need for violence or to sell dope.

"I would rebuild the prisons so they were clean and would provide school for everyone who wanted to learn. People would then treat each other with respect." - Aaren

"My ideal society would be totally different than what it is today. First of all, my way of penalizing and rewarding would be very forceful. Jealousy and favoritism would be outlawed. People would be rewarded for good hard work and love towards other people, no matter their appearance. Prison would only be for sex offenders such as child molesters, kidnappers, and racial criminals.

"So-called felons would go to isolated places and get therapy and hard labor, school and the opportunity to change in a different environment -- no walls, fences, or barbed wire but nice scenery." - Young Fernando

And, not surprisingly, many were concerned about crime

"I would have police that grew up in the inner cities, so they would know how it was. I would not have nuclear weapons but use that money for programs for children or free day care centers. I would have a lot of job openings for teenagers no matter what their backgrounds. I would have no prisons but an actual place where people can get help and not have to worry about getting stabbed.

"I would legalize all drugs. Nobody can ever stop drugs and if drugs were legal nobody would be robbing or killing for it. Kids would not pay that much attention to them if they were legal." - Mr. Locs

"In my idea of a perfect society everybody would get along. There would be no corner hanging, drug selling, who-riding other people's property. People would stay out of other people's business. Schools would be like the old days ‹ a student who gets out of line will receive regular punishment, like standing in the corner. All parents would have some kind of job. Institutions would have one-man cells, no fights, and more time out of the rooms." - Nate

Finally, some wrote about society itself.

"The society I live in is not all that good. Most problems start within the society itself so most people asked about their ideal society come up with a perfect world, not a perfect society." - Tautai

"I kinda like our society but I also hate it. Some things are not good, some things are. But life wouldn't be fun if everything was perfect -- there would be no challenge. I do wish some things would change. There should not be people living in the streets or racism.

"The good thing is our freedom, but I took advantage of mine and lost it."- Fearless