Thank you for access to this book via giveaway. I enjoyed reading through much of it and have suggested it to some colleagues who do work in restorative justice within their communities.

In 2015 when I read Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, my eyes were opened to the major issues in our justice system. Since then I’ve read many more books that have driven home those truths and made me see more and more how broken our current system is. In Judge Victoria Pratt’s book The Power of Dignity - I have hope in seeing a different path.

I thought Judge Pratt did a great job of showing how justice can be handled differently when every defendant is looked at as a whole human being and not just a specific case or instance. She often had them write essays which helped her learn more about what put them before her. And through major changes to Newark’s system - they were able to make big differences in lots of people’s lives.

However - for me the book felt a little long/repetitive and I feel like I could have taken as much from a long article. I also appreciated the research but it definitely read a little dry at times.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

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Please read my newest article/review.

DOUG

The Power of Dignity is a well written book that discusses how we can change our criminal justice system to help people instead of negatively impacting the people who come into contact with it. Our current criminal justice system is mostly focused on being "hard on crime." We do not treat criminals with dignity and respect. We are too focused on seeking revenge and dehumanizing people. Judge Victoria Pratt does a great job at discussing the people she has encountered and the issues she has witnessed while being a judge. She explains the different methods that she has used to punish that have helped people to change and reduced recidivism. This book was fantastic, and I highly recommend that those interested in criminal justice read this book.

I would like to thank Seal Press for providing me with an ARC.