Victoria McCaskey Burton-Harris

Victoria McCaskey Burton-Harris is a Lecturer at the University of Michigan School of Law, where she teaches courses on criminal justice reform and legal policy. She also serves as the Chief Assistant Prosecutor for Washtenaw County, appointed in 2021 by Prosecutor Eli Savit, with a career focused on defending vulnerable communities against systemic inequities in the criminal justice system.

• Education: BA in Political Science and African American Studies from University of Michigan; JD from Wayne State University.

Her research and advocacy center on criminal justice reform, emphasizing the intersectionality of poverty, mental health, and substance use disorders. She promotes holistic legal approaches that address root causes of incarceration and community-based solutions.

Burton-Harris actively collaborates with grassroots organizations such as We The People-Detroit and BYP-100, providing legal guidance and developing trauma-informed practices for domestic violence cases. She advocates for youth development and criminal justice system transparency through roles on boards including Covenant House Michigan and the National Lawyers Guild.

In her community work, she facilitates know-your-rights training, volunteers at expungement fairs, and mentors residents at youth homeless shelters. Her career spans private practice in family law and criminal defense, public policy reform, and systemic critique of prosecutorial practices.