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Patty is serving a life sentence for the murder of her husband in 1984. She is not eligible for parole until 2036. Now 69, Patty has served over 32 years and has consistently maintained her innocence. I am not in a position to know whether Patty actually committed the crime, although there does seem to be a plethora of irregularities in the investigation that led to her arrest and the ensuing prosecution. The governor need not be convinced that Patty is innocent to conclude that ordering her release is the just and merciful action for Patty and her family, and the responsible decision for the people of Missouri. Let me explain.

First, some context. When I entered the Missouri corrections system in 1972, individuals who had been convicted of a crime similar to the one Patty was convicted of would have been paroled in 12 years or less for good behavior. But the onslaught of changes to the law, including the requirement to serve at least 85 percent on every sentence involving a violent crime, and the demand for sentences of either life without the possibility of parole or death for murder convictions, fundamentally changed the way that criminal justice was administered in Missouri, making it more intractable and less humane. The fact that Patty, now elderly and increasingly frail, who no one believes is a threat to the community, remains in prison after more than 32 years is a direct consequence of this move toward rigid and hopeless sentencing.

Despite her life sentence, Patty has accomplished more, given more and touched the lives of more individuals than many of us outside prison will ever achieve. Patty has earned multiple academic degrees; she is a published, award-winning writer. One play she wrote was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. For 20 years, she served the state as a computer programmer and trained dozens of women in that field. She was one of the founding members of Prison Performing Arts at her prison in 2000 and has had leading roles in a several Shakespearean plays. Patty has volunteered for thousands of hours through the Restorative Justice Program, where she has engaged in service projects to help elderly veterans and abused children.

More than any single accomplishment, I have been most impressed with the positive influence she has on her fellow offenders. She is clearly respected and admired for her leadership, integrity and compassion. From tutoring those seeking their GED to training women to become certified fitness instructors, I have observed Patty helping inmates of all backgrounds realize their potential. So many women credit Patty for mentoring them through their years of incarceration in ways that prepared them to lead more productive and responsible lives after their release.

The state will spend upward of $350,000 to keep Patty behind bars through 2036. Given Missouri’s serious fiscal challenges — challenges that are being acutely felt by the Department of Corrections — it’s hard to imagine a justification for spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to continue to imprison a 69-year-old grandmother and model prisoner who has already served over three decades.

There is also a human toll to consider. Patty’s children, who lost their father as a result of the crime for which Patty was convicted, have urged the governor to let their mom come home.

I do not make this recommendation lightly, but Patty Prewitt is an exceptional individual. I ask that the governor consider the fact of the long sentence she has already served, the total support of her children and grandchildren, and her unprecedented contribution to the culture of the prison and to her fellow offenders. I believe she will enrich her community on the outside as she has done so powerfully on the inside.

I recommend that Gov. Parson take the just, responsible and compassionate action and grant Patty Prewitt clemency.

George Lombardi is the former director of the Missouri Department of Corrections.