
The Power of Dignity
How Transforming Justice Can Heal Our Communities
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Narrated by:
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Chanté McCormick
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Cary Hite
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Judge Victoria Pratt
About this listen
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 resource for healing. She assigned essays to defendants so that the court could understand their hardships and kept people out of jail through alternative sentencing and nonprofit partnerships. She became the judge of second chances, because she knew too few get a first one.
With a foreword from Senator Cory Booker, The Power of Dignity shows how we can transform courtrooms, neighborhoods, and our nation to support the vulnerable and heal community rifts. That’s the power of dignity.
©2022 Judge Victoria Pratt (P)2022 Seal PressListeners also enjoyed...
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Performance
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Story
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Story
Ascending to the leadership role of US Attorney for the Southern District, which includes Manhattan and several counties to the north, is a capstone to any legal career: it entails guiding a team of the best lawyers in America in selecting and winning cases that often have global import. Geoffrey Berman was honored to be tapped for the job by Donald Trump in 2018. The manner in which Trump had dispatched his predecessor Preet Bharara was troubling, but the institution was fabled for its independence. Surely he could manage.
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The daughter of immigrants and civil rights activists, Vice President Kamala Harris was raised in an Oakland, California, community that cared deeply about social justice. As she rose to prominence as one of the political leaders of our time, her experiences would become her guiding light as she grappled with an array of complex issues and learned to bring a voice to the voiceless. In The Truths We Hold, she reckons with the big challenges we face together.
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Great content, read if possible
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Critic reviews
“Judge Pratt is a remarkable and powerful storyteller. The stories of courtroom cases in these pages are gripping, and they add up to something bigger: Pratt’s critical message about transforming our criminal justice system. If you believe in achieving ‘liberty and justice for all,’ read this book.” —Sunny Hostin, Emmy-winning co-host of The View and New York Times bestselling author of Summer on the Bluffs
"Written with both precision and compassion, The Power of Dignity offers readers an important and rare gift: the opportunity to get inside the mind of a judge as she wrestles with hard cases and no-win situations. If every judge were Victoria Pratt, our criminal courts would be the envy of the world.” —Greg Berman, Former Executive Director, Center for Court Innovation
What listeners say about The Power of Dignity
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Nancy E. McGrath Bott
- 09-12-22
must read for everyone in the legal system
as a new law school graduate this will shape how I view the judicial system and my job
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- Carrie Turney
- 07-25-22
Five Stars!
I first heard Judge Pratt speaking on a podcast episode of Sharon Says So and immediately found her book on Audible. I’ve recommended it to everyone I’ve come in contact with since. This book was sobering, thought provoking, and inspiring. Seeing restorative justice in action gives me such hope.
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- RegB
- 03-20-24
Inspiring
This book inspires hope in the justice system. It should be required reading for all people working in the system. This is such a refreshing perspective on leading with dignity. Judge Pratt has done work that resulted in changing the lives of people she’s encountered. I’m inspired personally to ensure I treat people with dignity.
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- anthony kerr
- 07-26-22
It's what we need now from the judicial system
I have never thought of the judicial system being transformed in this way. The entire system is presented in a manner that makes the average person feel inadequate just coming in the door. It just makes so much sense. Instead of using the lock them up and throw away the key system that has always been an effect. Especially when you're dealing with real issues such as addiction, education, economics and mental health. Kudos to Judge Pratt for bringing this to the forefront.
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