Mitigation Specialist, Defense-Based Court Advocacy Services

Description

The Osborne Association serves individuals, families, and communities affected by the criminal legal system. Through our programs, we offer opportunities for people to heal from the harm they have suffered, repair damage they have endured, restore their lives, and thrive. We challenge systems rooted in racism and retribution and fight for policies and practices that promote true safety, justice, and liberation.

At Osborne, we are guided by core values and shared beliefs. We honor every individual’s capacity to change, celebrate our shared humanity, are united in our pursuit of justice and equity, take all possible steps to keep our commitments and advocate for people and principles with fierce and tenacious determination.

For 30+ years, at the request of their court-appointed attorneys, Osborne’s Court Advocacy Services (CAS) team has assisted individuals facing open criminal cases in the NYS Supreme Court in all five boroughs of NYC, Westchester County, and several counties in upstate New York. We conduct pre-plea/pre-sentence investigations to ascertain mitigating circumstances, when appropriate, to advocate for client-specific sentencing alternatives, including treatment and other types of community-based programming. In recent years, we began assisting individuals facing  parole violations, conducting bail advocacy for women and trans-identifying individuals in detention, providing direct services to individuals involved in intimate partner violence in the Bronx, and a diversion to those facing low-level charges in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx through Project Reset and Bronx Assist.

We seek a full-time Mitigation Specialist, Defense-Based Court Advocacy Services, to join our team. This Mitigation Specialist will work primarily with individuals under Parole supervision in violation status, and in NYC Department of Correction (DOC) custody. This includes people charged with technical violations, non-technical violations, and individuals with new open criminal cases to provide mitigation services to reduce their detention time.

This is a full-time position with a hybrid work schedule. There is an expectation that the Mitigation Specialist will meet with clients, attend court appearances in person, respond to urgent requests when possible, and move flexibly between in-person and remote work as policies and needs shift. Schedules are subject to change.

This position requires clearance by the New York City Department of Correction. Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain Department of Correction (DOC) clearance to work on Rikers Island and/or other applicable facilities operated by the Department of Correction. 

Salary: $70,000/year

Requirements

• Support defense counsel by conducting an expeditious psychosocial assessment of the client with a focus on the circumstances that brought their parole supervision into question
• Intake client into program, interview clients and their collateral contacts, and work with the client to develop a client-specific service plan with a harm reduction focus
• Prepare and submit written work products to the defense counsel, the Judge, and the assigned PRS
• Advocate at Parole Hearings before Administrative Law Judges and Parole Revocation Specialist, seeking lesser- or non-incarceratory outcomes
• Facilitate releases from court and transportation to programming when needed
• Support the client during the implementation of the plan
• Effect referrals and monitor clients by liaising with treatment providers and providing reports and updates as required.
• clearance into NYC Department of Correction (DOC) facilities is required.
• Perform other duties as required
• In person attendance required to collaborate with co-workers 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Criminal Justice, Social Work, Forensic Psychology, or a similar field
• A minimum of one year of progressively responsible professional experience in a criminal justice environment
• Experience conducting investigations and writing court reports such as Pre-Plea and Pre-Sentence Memoranda
• Experience working with clients with mental illness, intellectual and other developmental disabilities, and substance use disorders
• Experience advocating before a Court or similar entity
• Experience managing a caseload of clients with varying needs and case-related deadlines, ensuring timely action and intervention.

Key Competencies:

• Excellent written and oral presentation skills, including public speaking skills
• Superior interviewing and listening skills
• Ability to extract reliable and genuine information while conveying empathy and remaining open-mi