Title: Defender Support Advocate - 099638

Job Description

Reporting to the Lead Advocate, the Defender Support Unit Advocate works collaboratively with managed assigned counsel to achieve improved social and legal outcomes for adults (and juveniles charged as adults) who are charged with felonies in Wayne County. The Advocate carries out the goals of the Defender Support Unit by reviewing service requests, consulting with defense counsel on case strategy, and conducting forensic-informed assessments. The Advocate develops comprehensive mitigation reports, individualized treatment and release plans, and other evidence-informed work product, while providing trauma-informed court and community advocacy and coordinating access to relevant social services to support client and case outcomes.

Responsibilities

Required Tasks

• Major Duties:
• Collaborate with defense attorneys, investigators, and expert witnesses to integrate biopsychosocial, clinical, and community insights into overall case strategy, ensuring holistic representation for clients.
• Conduct comprehensive mitigation investigations by interviewing clients and collateral contacts, collecting and analyzing records from multiple systems, and integrating relevant social science and clinical research to identify persuasive mitigation themes.
• Prepare creative and persuasive work product, including comprehensive mitigation reports, individualized release plans, status updates, and related documents to support plea negotiations, sentencing advocacy, and alternatives to incarceration.
• Build and maintain relationships with treatment providers, social service agencies, and other partners to expand resource networks that support both client and case outcomes.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and detailed case documentation in the department’s case management system to ensure continuity of representation and demonstrate impact.
• Additional duties:
• Complete all work in adherence to the client confidentiality standards as outlined in the Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct and the NASW Code of Ethics.
• Facilitate initial and ongoing consultations with defense attorneys to clarify service requests, establish shared goals, and align timelines with case strategy.
• Complete forensic-informed biopsychosocial assessments in jails and community settings, using evidence-based tools to evaluate client needs, risk factors, and case-relevant psychosocial dynamics.
• Conduct comprehensive mitigation investigations by interviewing clients and collateral contacts, collecting and analyzing multi-system records, and integrating relevant social science and clinical research to identify persuasive mitigation themes.
• Prepare creative and persuasive mitigation reports, demonstrative exhibits, and individualized treatment or release plans that synthesize assessment findings, records, interviews, and research to support plea negotiations, sentencing advocacy, and alternatives to incarceration.
• Provide consultation and training to defense attorneys on mitigation strategies, trauma-informed practice, and effective integration of psychosocial evidence into legal strategy.
• Coordinate and monitor referrals to community-based services, maintaining client engagement throughout the life of a case to support alignment with treatment and release plans.
• Prepare clients and families for court, accompany them during proceedings to provide trauma-informed guidance, observe and document case developments, relay key psychosocial or mitigation insights to defense counsel to inform real-time strategy, and provide debriefings or brief crisis intervention following hearings or other acutely distressing case events.
• Accurately document all case activities and outcomes in the department’s case management system in a timely manner.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Educational/Experience Requirements

• Master's degree in social work or closely related field.
• At least 2 years of experience working with adults impacted by the criminal/legal system or a similar population.
• Preferred Qualifications
• Full or limited clinical social work licensure in the State of Michigan.
• Experience or specialized training as a sentencing advocate or mitigation specialist.
• Bilingual (Spanish or Arabic preferred).

Job Info

Job Identification: 2486

Posting Date: 02/11/2026, 03:02 PM

Apply Before: 03/11/2026, 08:30 PM
Job Schedule: Full time
Location: 500 Griswold St, Detroit, MI, 48226, US