Dr. James Pratt, Jr.

A passionate advocate for human rights, justice, and violence reduction, James Bernard Pratt, Jr. PhD is an award-winning public speaker, community organizer, writer, and professor from Albany, GA. Dr. Pratt received his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Morehouse College and his PhD in Criminology, Law and Society at UC, Irvine. His dissertation entitled Terroirof Violence in the Capital of the Southern Black Belt explores the ways culture, the law, its enforcement, and other structures shape the meanings and applications of violence in the American South. His work continues to advance the understanding of intersections of race, violence, and the cultural desire and expectations associated with the American Dream.

Along with his academic work, Dr. Pratt has also provided expert commentary on local and national news outlets including WALB, WFLX, and BNC and has moderated and served on panels for Harvard Kennedy School, Morehouse College, the University of California Office of the President, the NAACP, and numerous others. He has applied his research in the Southwest Georgia region by working collaboratively with institutions like schools, churches, and governments to develop policies, practices, and culture that better confront issues of harm and justice proactively. His collective community and scholarly work have been featured in the Huffington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution,and the Albany Herald and journals in the fields of sociology, criminology, law, and violence studies.

Dr. Pratt’s teaching is equally as important as his activist and scholarly work. While a professor in the Criminal Justice Department at Albany State University, he won the 2019 Emerging Scholar Award recognizing his work and interests in building critical scholars prepared for the future. Presently, Dr. Pratt is as an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Fisk University. There, he serves as coordinator of the Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Programs. Additionally, Dr. Pratt operates the Justice Propulsion Lab (JPL) which develops collaborative research with undergraduates on topics related to justice, race, culture, and violence. The Justice Propulsion Lab is working to provide state-certified mediation training to students to help provide toolkits that may lead to decreases in violent disputes on campus and the community.

James loves music, movies, and poetry. He is a trained percussionist and vocalist, amateur producer, and avid tennis player.