PITCHESS IS HIT BY 'HURRICANE' EX-BOXER TELLS MEN HOW TO GO STRAIGHT.

Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff Writer

CASTAIC - Freed by a judge after nearly 20 years in prison, Rubin ``Hurricane'' Carter spent Friday behind bars in Castaic where he urged inmates to better themselves and break the cycle of crime.

Carter, the inspiration for the movie ``The Hurricane,'' starring Denzel Washington, pleaded with inmates at the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center to educate themselves to ensure a better future once they're released.

Carter, a former middleweight boxer, was imprisoned for a triple murder in a New Jersey bar until a federal judge ordered him freed in 1985. He was joined Friday by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the National Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.

``Here is a man who has had every kind of indignity. He's been disrespected in every way possible, yet he respects everyone else,'' Jackson said.

As part of Friday's program, ``The Hurricane'' was screened for about 150 inmates in hopes of inspiring them to make the most of their time in jail to ensure a better life on the outside and to help fix the problems that sent them to jail.

For example, both Carter and Jackson pointed out the significant disparity between the number of minorities in prisons versus unversities throughout the nation.

``When I enter universities, I see that 85 percent of students are white, and in prisons, 85 to to 90 percent are black folks. Something is terribly wrong,'' Carter said.

Jackson railed against a justice system that has allowed for wrongful incarceration and the proliferation of recidivism, adding that about 1.2 million individuals are in jail for nonviolent charges.

Jackson stressed that many minorities end up in jail because of the ``racial profiling'' that occurs throughout the nation and praised Carter for the inner drive that kept him going while he was in prison in New Jersey.

Jackson, who has known Carter for many years and staged a protest on Carter's behalf in the 1970s, had an idea as he watched ``The Hurricane'' one day. The movie should be shown to prisoners across the nation, said Tracy Rice, a death penalty appeals attorney with the Rainbow Coalition.

Two weeks ago, Jackson, Carter and the coalition presented the film at a prison in Cook County, Ill. The more than 700 male and female prisoners who attended were riveted by what the saw, Rice recalled.

``You couldn't hear a pin drop throughout the entire movie,'' she said. ``Half of them were in tears and cheering when the movie was over ... and we just thought, this can't be the last time we (show the movie) because it was so powerful.''

Also at Pitchess were Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and producers, actors and athletes including: actor/producer Mike Farrell, Washington Redskins quarterback Rodney Peete and record producer Barry Hankerson.

On Friday, some inmates at the North County Correctional Facility who have shown extra initiative by helping out in the kitchen, the sewing shop, print shop or other locations, took part in a motivational presentation.

``The purpose is to get the inmates to change their lives, get off (drugs) and stay out of jail,'' said Sgt. Pat Hunter.

Carter emphasized how important it is for the community to reach out to inmates and let them know they matter instead of perpetuating a closed society behind bars.

``These prison walls and gun towers are not only there to keep prisoners in, but to keep the community out,'' Carter said.

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Photo: (color in Valley edition only) Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, center, addresses the media at Pitchess Detention Center, as Rev. Jesse L. Jackson looks on.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News