Victoria Pratt: How judges can show respect
Victoria Pratt: Hur kan en domare visa respekt
Judge Victoria Pratt is inspiring a global revolution in criminal justice. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
I want to tell you something.
Jag har en sak att säga dig.
by a transgender prostitute
till mig,
sitting next to her,
I look better than the girl you're with."
i alla fall snyggare än din tjej."
be picked up by the record,
towards counselor's table with dignity.
med värdighet.
also known as procedural fairness,
även kallad rättssäkerhet,
of an African-American garbageman
afroamerikansk sopåkare
in the segregated South.
i det segregerade södern.
you're still paying attention.
att ni fortfarande lyssnar.
en dominikansk kosmetolog
for a better life for her unborn children.
för sina ofödda barn.
you meet with dignity and respect,
och värdighet mot alla jag möter.
no matter how they dress,
it would be the most important lesson
blev det en viktig lärdom
to the Newark Municipal Court bench.
Newark Municipal Court.
off the playground
to translate for family members
to the United States,
for a person, a novice,
för en person, en nykomling,
and around the globe,
that is foreign, intimidating
about the nature of their charges,
with the police
their relationships, their finances
påverka deras relationer, deras ekonomi
who encounters our courts.
i deras första kontakt med domstolen.
going through court security.
genom domstolens säkerhetskontroll.
they walk around the building,
försöka hitta dit de ska
the same question
svar beroende på
to where they're supposed to be,
when they encounter the courts.
riktigt dåligt.
people's court experience,
av domstolen,
the public's trust
is procedural justice
processuell rättvisa,
they are treated fairly
att de behandlas rättvist
Yale professor Tom Tyler found
Tom Tyler konstatera
as far back in the '70s
see the justice system
to impose rules and regulations,
regler och föreskrifter,
that they were treated fairly
begins with what?
to court participants.
tilltalar parterna.
a reserve seat to a tragic reality show
en tragisk realityshow
of appearing vulnerable on the bench,
att uppfattas som svag underordnad,
did I need to do something,
of procedural justice are easy
att rättsprinciperna är relativt enkla
as quickly as tomorrow.
that it can be done for free.
not going to let them speak.
tala just nu.
that's going to hurt your case."
skada dig längre fram."
of giving them voice.
att ge dem en röst.
college student an essay.
den uppgiften.
druckit alkohol.
and his hands trembling,
had become an alcoholic like his mom,
alkoholist som sin mamma,
due to alcohol-related liver disease.
alkoholrelaterad leversjukdom.
to my father, a letter to my son,
positive thing about myself,
to be introspective,
att vara introspektiv,
that goes beyond their criminal record
in the justice system,
to be favoring one side over the other.
endera parten.
not to say things like,
att inte säga saker som,
"my defense attorney."
polis, advokat eller åklagare.
when we work in environments
då vi arbetar i en miljö
assigned to your courts,
in and out of your courts as well.
a new Rutgers Law grad
and I was greeted by two grey-haired men
och hälsades av två gråhåriga män
the last game of golf they played together
de spelat tillsammans
a fair shot in that forum.
inte kunde få rättvisa.
understand the process,
förstår processen,
is the language we use to confuse.
språket vi använder för att förvilla.
who appear before me,
their second language.
was when I was a young judge --
a senior judge comes to me,
kom en äldre domare fram,
has mental health issues,
har psykiska problem,
så får du en uppfattning. "
and you can get your evaluation."
was a mental health issue,
and I started to ask questions.
um, psychotrop --
with a psychiatrist before?"
was suffering from mental illness.
personen hade psykiatriska besvär.
to scrap the script and ask one question.
för att må bättre?"
to clear your mind?"
for my schizophrenia,
to clear your mind?"
no medication to clear my mind.
för att må bättre.
to stop the voices in my head,
understand the question,
to make meaningful decisions
of the other principles can work.
"Good morning, ma'am."
"God morgon."
who is standing before you,
"Um, how are you doing today?
actually interested in the response.
intresserad av svaret.
in the paperwork?"
read and write, can't you?"
there's a literacy issue.
det kan handla om läskunnighet.
is that it's contagious.
är att det är smittsamt.
respectful to other folks
that respect to themselves.
the transgender prostitute was telling me.
prostituerade sa till mig.
as you think you may be judging me.
tror att du dömer mig.
to change the culture at my courthouse
för att ändra kulturen i min domstol
to the criminal court,
as the worst courtroom in the city,
domstolen i staden,
with revolving door justice,
med svängdörrar,
of low-level offenders --
with quality-of-life tickets,
ordningsböter,
and the misguided young people --
och är utan riktning -
doing a life sentence
decided that Newarkers deserved better,
att medborgarna förtjänade bättre,
with the Center for Court Innovation
Center for Court Innovation
to punishment with assistance.
otherwise get a jail sentence
skulle dömas till fängelse
individual counseling sessions,
as well as community giveback,
ge tillbaka till samhället,
that this wonderful program
underbara programmet var
and was going to be housed where?
the attitudes were terrible there
being sent there as punishment.
disciplinary actions at times,
a 30-day jail sentence on their rotation,
under sin period där,
they were being hazed
sorority or fraternity.
på college.
an attorney who worked there
as "the scum of the earth"
with those people? They're so nasty.
we criminalize social ills,
kriminaliserar vi social misär,
and say, "Do something."
"Gör något."
to lead by example.
med gott exempel.
came when a 60-something-year-old man
was showing the signs of drug withdrawal.
och han visade tecken på abstinens.
and he said, "30 years."
"i 30 år" sa han.
I have a 32-year-old son."
had the opportunity
att vara en en bra far
because of your addiction."
I'm going to let you go home,
some assistance for your addiction."
missbruk" sa jag.
and he was sitting the courtroom.
överraskande nog, åter i salen.
"Judge, I came back to court
"Jag kom tillbaka
than I had for myself."
jag visat mig själv."
he heard love from the bench?
kände han kärlek i domstolen?
when the court behaves differently,
you can go to for assistance,
för hjälp,
schizophrenic homeless woman
schizofreni i 60-års åldern
and screams, "Judge!
"Domaren !
hur du har det."
for a couple of months,
för att se
a couple of weeks ago.
några veckor tidigare.
of coaxing by the judge,
att följa med ambulansen
was terrible, Judge.
"Samhällstjänsten var hemsk.
and it was full of empty heroin envelopes,
av tomma heroinförpackningar,
för att bli hög,
to do community service,
till samhällstjänst,
when I wasn't high,
the children playing there."
lowered their head.
sänkte blicken.
its relationship with the community,
förtroendet hos allmänheten,
through the court program.
domstolens nya arbetssätt.
at an office cleaning company,
hos ett städföretag,
after the interview,
i min kostym efter intervjun,
how bad I wanted the job."
viktigt jobbet var för mig."
when a person in authority
när en person med auktoritet
och respekt,
who struts down the aisle
som kom in i rättssalen
do you notice anything different?"
a referral from the program,
från programmet,
to replace the old teeth
of years of heroin addiction.
sitt heroinmissbruk.
that judges will use these tools
the communities that they serve.
de arbetar i.
are not miracle cure-alls,
to where we want to be,
that people enter our halls of justice
går in i våra rättssalar
with dignity and respect
värdigt och med respekt
will be served there.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Victoria Pratt - ProfessorJudge Victoria Pratt is inspiring a global revolution in criminal justice.
Why you should listen
Judge Victoria Pratt 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, a busy urban court, she spent years gaining a deep understanding of how justice could be delivered to court participants in a manner that increased their trust in the legal system. While presiding over Newark Community Solutions, the Community Court Program, she provided alternatives to jail to low-level offenders. These alternatives included community service, individual and group counseling sessions, and her signature assignment of introspective essays. Her respectful approach has had a positive effect on court participant’s court experience -- and how the community viewed the court.
Pratt is now serving as a Professor at Rutgers Law School in Newark, an institution that has always been committed to social justice. Her teaching load includes problem-solving courts and restorative justice. As a graduate of Rutgers Law, she is excited by the opportunity to influence the minds of future lawyers and judges with innovative and humane ways of dealing with court participants. She also continues to champion criminal justice reform through her consulting firm Pratt Lucien Consultants, LLC, by sharing her skills and approach with others.
Pratt’s work has been featured in The Guardian and Rutgers Magazine (both written by Pulitzer-winning author Tina Rosenberg.) As a nationally recognized expert in procedural justice and alternative sentencing, she has been asked by numerous professional organizations and jurisdictions to share her story and philosophy. Judge Pratt has also appeared on MSNBC's "Melissa Harris Perry Show," the Emmy-winning PBS show "Due Process," and National Public Radio's "Conversations with Allan Wolper."
Pratt is licensed to practice law in both New Jersey and New York and is admitted to the US Supreme Court. She also facilitates empowerment sessions to help people live their best lives.
(Photo: Erik James Montgomery)
Victoria Pratt | Speaker | TED.com