Procedural justice, one of the key pillars of the National Initiative, has been in the spotlight recently thanks to coverage of Judge Victoria Pratt’s court in Newark, New Jersey. Pratt, the chief judge of the Newark Municipal Court, is the featured profile in Tina Rosenberg’s long read at the Guardian on “the simple idea that could transform US criminal justice.” More recently, Melissa Harris Perry invited Pratt to her show on MSNBC to speak in depth about her approach.
The article and interview describe the innovative approaches Pratt is using with defendants—key tenets of procedural justice and unique methods, like essay writing—to instill greater mutual respect in proceedings and achieve better outcomes for the people who enter the courtroom.
Moreover, as the article describes the developments in Newark, it also cites many National Initiative contributors from across the Hudson river, in New York, and beyond: The Center for Court Innovation’s procedural justice program in Red Hook (Brooklyn), Tom Tyler’s scholarship, and thoughts from Tracey Meares and David Kennedy.
These highlights illustrate some innovative ways representatives of the criminal justice system can improve procedural justice and build community trust across the nation.
