Associate Justice Erin Lynch Prata of Rhode Island Supreme Court

 

3/01/2022

Associate Justice Erin Lynch Prata

c/o Rhode Island Supreme Court

Providence County Courthouse

250 Benefit Street

Providence, RI  02903

Dear Associate Justice Prata,

My name is Matt Winick and I have a strong interest in learning history including social justice. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, expand on criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others. Associate Justice Prata, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work when you served as Member of the Rhode Island Senate from the 31st district and as current Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court to be very inspiring to me. 

When you served as Member of the Rhode Island Senate from the 31st district from 2009-2020, I truly appreciated on how you were a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, supporting funds for women including minorities businesses to help them compete in the economy, and working with state legislatures to expand on laws to combat against hate crimes to help protect minorities including people who are different. On the economy, I liked on how you supported expansions of jobs training programs to help train workers including youth to develop or improve on their work skills to help prepare for the workforce and advocating for raising the minimum wage to help assist minimum wage workers afford to live. Supporting funds for renewable energy resources to reduce addiction to oil with gas, encouraging businesses including industries to use energy efficient products to reduce high energy cost while reduce pollution, and increasing funds for government services including environmental clean ups to clean rivers, parks, water resources, and coastal areas from pollution is common sense to help protect the environment.  On education reform, I liked on how support funds to improve special education to help students with disabilities get better accommodations they need to learn and implement more tutoring services to provide students with help on their assignments from tutors.  Another thing that I liked about your work when you served in the Rhode Island Senate was how you push for expansion of  funds for stem cell research to find ways to combat against Parkinson’s diseases or other diseases , support the need for health care coverage for people with disabilities including people with autism spectrum to get help even thong both political parties aren’t advocates for supporters of the idea, and express the need for ethics reform like a ban on gifts to public officials from lobbyist including lobbying groups to reduce corruption.  In your current role as Associate Justice of Rhode Island Supreme Court, I like on how you are a continuous support supporter of civil rights.  Supporting the need for drug treatment programs to help drug-users get the care they need to reduce drug abuse, advocating for the need for more resources to help victims of domestic violence or victims of crime get help on dealing with their trauma, and strongly express the importance for more funds for DNA testing including forensic science to help solve evidence efficiently while reduce sending an innocent person to jail is common sense for criminal justice reform. Also on criminal justice reform, I like on how you express the need for mental health court to help people with mental illness to get treatment and advocate for the importance of community services to help non-violent offenders including non violent juveniles to rehabilitate so they won’t re-offend. Another thing that I like about your work on the Rhode Island Supreme Court is how you advocate for the need to reduce racial profiling in the criminal justice system to help protect minorities including immigrants from being oppressed, strongly advocate with support the need for better voter protection laws to help protect voters including minorities along with people with disabilities from losing their right to vote, and support protecting civil liberties like the fourth amendment to help protect people from unreasonable searches.

Associate Justice Prata, I have autism with a learning disability. Having a disability is hard for me because I have trouble comprehending on learning different advance subjects, sometimes I struggle to communicate my thoughts, and get teased.  Your commitment to be a strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability.  Your role as former Member of the Rhode Island Senate from the 31st district and as current Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court helps give me motivation to continue learn history including social justice. My future goal is to work in these areas to help to make civil rights stronger to reduce discrimination, protect the environment from pollution, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others.  My letter is a gift to you for inspiring me and for Women’s History Month to help recognize individual women who work hard to make a great difference for society. 

I strongly believe that you are making a great difference for society. I’m very proud on how you work hard to support civil rights, protect the environment, expand on criminal justice reform, and many others. You truly inspire me to work hard on my disability, learn about your work, and continue to learn different subjects. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. Please continue to make a great difference and to advocate for common sense ideas.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick