The Power of Dignity: How Transforming Justice Can Heal Our Communities

A renowned judge wonders: What would criminal justice look like if we put respect at the center?

The Black and Latina daughter of a working-class family, Victoria Pratt learned to treat everyone with dignity, no matter their background. When she became Newark Municipal Court’s chief judge, she knew well the inequities that poor, mentally ill, Black, and brown people faced in the criminal justice system. Pratt’s reforms transformed her courtroom into a place for problem-solving and a resourc...