MITIGATION SPECIALISTS
(Full and part-time positions available in Detroit and Lansing)
The Michigan State Appellate Defender Office (SADO) represents clients sentenced to life without parole as juveniles, and is responsible for developing mitigation and litigation strategies for resentencing hearings conducted pursuant to MCL 769.25a and Miller v Alabama, 567 US __ (2012). SADO seeks to hire 1 full-time and 2 part-time Mitigation Specialists to assist in preparing for resentencing hearings by collecting and presenting mitigating facts aimed at reducing a client’s sentence. The Mitigation Specialists will work with staff from SADO’s Juvenile Lifer Unit in its Detroit and Lansing locations.
Specific duties include but are not limited to:
• Travel to correctional institutions to visit with incarcerated clients to learn about their background, the facts of the offense, current experiences while incarcerated, and the client’s specific needs upon release and write detailed follow-up reports;
• Locate and conduct exhaustive interviews of family members and other relevant people in the client’s life and write detailed follow-up reports;
• Prepare written social history reports;
• Request, review, analyze, and summarize records and information from a variety of sources;
• Provide support for case attorneys, including the preparation of a sentencing memorandum/recommendation and client counseling;
• Attend in-house and external trainings;
• Network and collaborate with probation officers, the Michigan Department of Corrections, circuit courts, and social services organizations to implement the mitigation specialist’s sentencing recommendations;
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends as needed, and to travel throughout the state;
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Outlook, Adobe Acrobat, Excel, and general office equipment.
Preferred qualifications:
• Education in social work, social science, psychology, forensic psychology, criminal justice or a related field;
• Knowledge of the criminal justice system, preferably in Michigan;
• Experience in investigation;
• Excellent communication, interviewing, and interpersonal skills;
• A commitment to working with indigent criminal defendants;
• The ability to work as part of the defense team, follow the instructions of the case attorney, and maintain the confidentiality of all information obtained while working on the case.
These entry-level positions are for one-year through September 30, 2019. Continuation is possible pending Unit funding in the future.
TO APPLY: Submit a cover letter (stating preference for part-time or full-time position and Detroit or Lansing location), resume, and writing sample to: Wendy Dealca, State Appellate Defender Office, 645 Griswold, Ste. 3300, Detroit, MI 48226, Email: [email protected], Fax: 313-965-0372.
Application deadline: September 3, 2018.