Dr. James B. Pratt, Jr.
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Discipline Coordinator of Homeland Security and Criminal Justice, Fisk University
Dr. James Bernard Pratt, Jr., is a scholar and advocate committed to justice, human rights, and violence reduction. A native of Albany, Georgia, he graduated with honors from Morehouse College in 2013 and earned his Master’s in Social Ecology and Ph.D. in Criminology, Law, and Society from UC Irvine. His research focuses on the intersections of culture, law, and violence, with a particular emphasis on the American South. Additionally, he explores the history and contemporary implications of corporal punishment in schools on discipline and student outcomes.
At Fisk University, Dr. Pratt serves as an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and directs the Justice Propulsion Lab (JPL), where he mentors students in justice research and mediation. He also coordinates the Homeland Security and Criminal Justice Programs, advises student organizations like Speech, Debate, and Model UN, and serves as Interim Director of Fisk’s Music City Sound Marching Band.
Dr. Pratt has presented at TEDxNashville on redefining violence, as well as at national and international conferences, including the American Society of Criminology and the Law and Society Association. He has also appeared on NPR and WFSK and been featured in The Huffington Post and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His honors include the 2019 Junior Faculty of the Year award, the 2023 Post Liberatum, Pax award for contributions to justice and community organizing, and recognition as the 2024 Kelly Miller Smith Social Justice Fellow.
Outside of his work, Dr. Pratt is a passionate musician, producer, and tennis enthusiast, as well as a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia.