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| Ex-prosecutor Pushes Prisoners' Rights |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 05/02/2003 |
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Ernie Preate built a career on being a tough-talking, law-and-order prosecutor who championed mandatory sentences and capital punishment. Preate sent five men to death row, wrote a book for prosecutors on how to argue capital cases and vowed to make his state the nation's toughest on drug crimes. But after serving time in federal prison for mail fraud, the former state attorney general redirected his energies toward advocating for prisoners' rights and pushing for reforms in the criminal justice system. To say that prison time changed Preate's mind on crime and punishment would be an understatement. 'Sure, I saw the data when I was a prosecutor about the over-incarceration of blacks, but you're just looking at numbers,' he said. 'But when you're in there, there's just a sea of black faces. That's when it hit me: I helped create this. ... Our prison system is a disaster.' Preate, 62, said he was struck by what he sees now as a double standard: White affluent inmates had better lawyers and got out of prison more quickly than their poor and minority counterparts. And at the Duluth, Minn., federal prison where he served his time, his fellow inmates shared stories of inadequate medical care, arbitrary parole policies and overcrowding. 'They're not whining about not being in a country club; these are legitimate complaints they're raising,' he said. 'A lot of the guys said, 'You were in those halls of power. Now you see what it's like in here. They'll listen to you - you have to tell them.'' He said that's what he has been trying to do since he was released in December 1996 after 14 months in prison. With the fervor that he once used to prosecute defendants, Preate now travels to colleges and prisons to speak about what he now views as the real way to combat crime and recidivism: education and rehabilitation. It's a common-sense approach that too often gets mired in politics, he said. 'It's easier to say, 'I'm tough on crime' than to say, 'I want to spend more money on schools,'' he said. It costs an average of $50,000 a year to house each of the more than 40,000 inmates in Pennsylvania prisons, Preate said. Paying for inmates could take away money from health care, education and elderly care, he said. But he said there are reasons for optimism: Last year, then-Gov. Mark S. Schweiker signed a bill that lays down procedures for inmates to petition for post-conviction DNA testing that could set them free. Also, plans are in the works for a study of the state's criminal justice and penal systems. Greenleaf said Preate 'was very helpful in working with us to develop consensus' for the DNA law, which was supported by both prison reformers and law enforcement. Preate said he will continue to push for reforms until the system improves - and he believes it will. 'I've learned from my experiences,' he said. 'That's the thing I'm most proud of.' |
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