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Criminal defense mitigation and its main occupational outlet, the Mitigation Specialist, have evolved and expanded since Gideon v. Wainwright. Employed by various names such as Forensic Social Worker, Dispositional Advisor, Mitigation Specialist, and more, these unique professionals and their roles are vital to the traditional operation and understanding of criminal defense. Despite its impact and growth, this occupation is often misunderstood and lacks foundation and research compared to other necessary criminal justice and legal roles inside and outside public defense. This session is based on a study that takes on this issue through a conducted exploratory study and purposive case study of 95 Mitigation Specialists from all over the United States. The findings give depth to the positions amazing strengths, foundational gaps, and encourages dialogue toward a contemporary and evolved understanding of mitigation and the Mitigation Specialist profession.
Learning Objectives:
Attendees will learn about the history of the Mitigation Specialist.
Attendees will learn the evolved and various definitions of the Mitigation Specialist.
Attendees will understand what national practitioners define and describe the Mitigation Specialist position as.
Attendees will be enlightened about the common national struggles of the Mitigation Specialist, its common duties, and takeaways towards its positive future.
R. E. S. P. E. C. T. A Discussion for & about Core Staff in Public Defense Offices
Office dynamics, especially between attorney and non-attorney staff members, can be a challenging topic to address. Join this workshop where we identify standards and basic rights for the workplace and have a candid and constructive conversation about the realities of the Core Staff experience. Participants will leave this session with a clearer vision of a healthy workplace as well as metrics to assess successes and failures. The objectives of this session are to provide a framework to define success, identify practical steps forward, and approach the topic of workplace inequities in an action oriented manner with a focus on shared values and team cohesion
Have you ever noticed that cops love to talk about their “training and experience”!?! This workshop will discuss the rationale for building a witness’s credibility and apply it to criminal defense investigators and mitigation specialists. You have a lot of training and experience of your own to share. We will identify CV red flags, the elements of a solid CV, and start the process of working up or refreshing your CV. We will also cover some of the credibility building questions that you can expect upon direct examination.
Use of cell phone location activity based on proximity to cellular towers is increasingly common in representation of criminal defendants. This presentation will provide an overview of how cellular phones communicate with the network, the way in which this information is retained by the cellular provider, and examples of how this data may translate into mapping for your cases. It will also include strategic litigation ideas for gathering this information independent of prosecutorial involvement to assess potential alibis as well as examples of various mapping platforms that you may see depending on your jurisdiction.
