Applications are submitted online until the position is filled and/or the posting is closed. After reviewing this job announcement, please click on the link at the bottom of the page to apply online. A resume is required with the application. Further instructions on submission of documents are available in the online application. A resume may not be substituted for an application.

The Office of the Public Defender Social Worker will work collaboratively with staff attorneys to advocate for reduced sentences or other alternatives to incarceration for clients. The Social Worker will work with clients and staff attorneys to develop mitigating information and sentencing memoranda to present information regarding clients’ needs. The Social Worker will act as a liaison with community partners who offer substance abuse programs, mental health services, and other community resources necessary for clients to be able to participate equitably in the criminal legal process. The Social Worker will maintain a database of community resources available to promote client success. The Social Worker will not provide direct treatment services but rather will provide assessments and referrals to community resources.

• Assess individual clients for ongoing need for services, advocate for client access to resources, make appropriate referrals, and follow up to ensure needs are being addressed.
• Develops and maintain relationships with at-risk clients to mitigate self-harm and encourage participation in the legal process.
• Meets with clients in the office, community and in carceral settings, such as detention centers, county jails, and state prisons.
• Finds or develops mitigating information through interviews and obtaining and digesting records.
• Assists attorneys in locating and communicating with medical or mental health experts and exchanges relevant information.
• Writes or assists the staff attorneys in writing sentencing memoranda and/or mitigation reports to advocate for alternatives to incarceration.
• Researches and recommends alternatives to incarceration.
• Appears in court to provide testimony as necessary.
• Develops and maintains relationships with community partners to be able to make appropriate recommendations for social service needs of clients; (drug treatment, mental health treatment, jobs training, housing, and others).
• Acts as a primary liaison with entities that are providing competency evaluation and reports on criminal responsibility.
• Supervises various social work interns from a CSWE accredited program and maintain accurate records of evaluation.
• Performs related duties as requested.

• Standard practices and procedures associated with the position of Social Worker.
• Community resources and services.
• The services provided by the Office of the Public Defender and the criminal legal system.
• DSM-V.

• Microsoft Office Suite

• Work as part of a client-centered, interdisciplinary defense team by establishing and maintaining relationships with clients and their families, court personnel, treatment providers, and experts.
• Maintain the confidentiality of client information.
• Maintain accurate documentation and records for client case files.
• Review, interpret, and summarize client records, including but not limited to, IEPs, education, medical, and psychological records.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Conduct motivational interviews.