Judge Victoria Pratt

Judge Victoria has gained national and international acclaim for her commitment to
reforming the criminal justice system. As the Chief Judge, in Newark Municipal Court in
Newark, New Jersey, she spent years gaining a deep understanding of how justice could
be delivered to individuals in a manner that increased their trust in the legal system and
changed their behavior. While presiding over Newark Community Solutions, the
Community Court Program, she used creative problem-solving to provide alternatives to
jail to low-level offenders.

She’s been called a pioneer in procedural justice - a simple, proven approach to
transforming our court system using the power of dignity and respect. She has worked with
jurisdictions across the nation, and as far as Dubai, Ukraine, England, Trinidad and
Tobago, and Mexico. She has also addressed delegates at the United Nations. Her viral
TED Talk, How Judges Can Show Respect, has been translated into 16 languages, has
over one million views and listed by Disrupt magazine as one of the top 15 most viral
motivational videos on Facebook with an astounding 37 million views. Judge Pratt also is
the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Power of Dignity: How Transforming
Justice Can Heal Our Communities.

An MSNBC guest columnist, Judge Pratt’s work has been featured in The Guardian
newspaper, The Simple Idea that Could Transform U.S. Criminal Justice, and she’s
appeared on MSNBC’s the Melissa Harris Perry Show, the Tamron Hall Show, the Emmy-
award winning PBS show Due Process-Community Court: A Kinder, Gentler Way?, and
NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. She has also served as a judge at the Sundance Film
Festival.

She now champions criminal justice reform through her consulting firm Pratt Lucien
Consultants, LLC, as well as speaking to corporate and organizational leaders about
restoring respect to their processes. She attended Rutgers University, Rutgers Law
School-Newark, and is licensed to practice in New Jersey, New York (ret.), and to appear
before the US Supreme Court.