The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Washington (FPD) is accepting applications for Non-Capital Mitigation Specialist Intern. This position is primarily based in our Seattle office, but does require occasional travel to our Tacoma office. The FPD operates under the authority of the Criminal Justice Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3006A, to provide legal representation to people charged with committing federal crimes who cannot afford to hire an attorney. The Court appoints our attorneys to represent accused persons before charges are filed, upon arrest, for the appeals process, and through federal habeas corpus review. Candidates should demonstrate a strong background in social work practice and be committed to defending those accused of committing a crime even when the evidence against them may appear to be strong. The candidate should be self-motivated, resourceful, creative, client-centered, and demonstrate a commitment to social justice, promotion of equity, and anti-oppressive practices. We provide a vigorous defense at trial and, if our client is convicted, at sentencing and on appeal. The candidate will advocate for humane sentences by developing mitigation evidence to present judges with fully developed views of our clients and their lives, not merely their charges. The candidate will support the office in providing a holistic approach to legal representation.

The intern will practice a variety of tasks as a member of the defense team. The intern will work with the Practicum Instructor (PI) to identify tasks that the intern is most interested in practicing and feels will best supplement their learning. These tasks could include:

•Case management: for public benefits, housing, behavioral health treatment, meeting basic needs, and service coordination
•Reentry/Release planning: including mobilization of the support network, identifying community resources, and producing a written plan
•Reviewing client medical and behavioral health records: for sentence mitigation work or release planning
•Producing sentencing memos for client social history and family impact statements; conducting interviews and research for sentence mitigation
•Brief supportive counseling/adjustment counseling
•Field work: escort clients to appointments as needed, conduct home visits
•Courtroom advocacy/support: attend hearings and provide support to clients and family
•Crisis intervention: intervene and manage behaviors, assess for danger to self and others, produce safety plans and referrals to higher levels of care
•Support defense team in application to alternative court models (i.e. DREAM - drug court)

Note: advanced students will be expected to complete more of their work independently, will be invited to carry a larger caseload, and will be encouraged to hone their skills and demonstrate a greater level of attention to detail in their work. The advanced intern will also be expected to take on more complex cases, as well as cases that require increased levels of collaboration with the defense team, federal, and community agencies.

Opportunities for mezzo level practice could include:

•Team case consultation/psychoeducation: brainstorming and strategizing with the defense team how to work most effectively with clients, coaching on interventions
•Participating in programs at the Federal Detention Center and Residential Reentry Centers
•Providing a training on a relevant social work topic to FPD staff and/or Criminal Justice Act panel attorneys
•Participating in community groups/coalitions relevant to incarceration and reentry
•Participating in the DREAM (Drug Reentry Alternative Model) program
•Participating in the office Equity and Inclusion Committee

Opportunities for the macro level could include:

•Attending community meetings addressing policy and procedure within the federal criminal legal system in the Western District of Washington and state Department of Corrections
•Forging partnerships with community agencies and updating our publicly available database
•Studying relevant public policy and laws and assessing the impact on our clients
•Conducting research and making recommendations about operations of the Social Work Program at the FPD

MSW interns will receive an Orca card to use throughout the duration of their internship.

Selection Criteria:

Prospective interns should have a strong commitment to social justice and anti-racism, comfort in helping people accused of a crime (including sex offenses), a desire to work with clients managing mental illness and/or substance use challenges, a desire to do case management (rather than psychotherapy), strong ethics, and an interest in learning about the relationship between the criminal legal system and social work.

The student should be a self-starter and know how to ask for help when needed. The student should be comfortable working on an interdisciplinary team and voicing their opinions. The student should also be creative and flexible, as the role can shift throughout the year to meet the needs of the organization, the interests of the intern, and client needs that are often unique
and challenging, requiring creativity.

In this organization, the social worker is part of the legal team, meaning they will follow both the ethical guidelines of social workers and lawyers. Social workers are not mandated reporters in this role and are bound by attorney-client privilege.

The intern should possess strong communication skills, both verbally and in writing. Some of the intern's written work product may be filed with the Court.

Requirements: The successful candidate must be enrolled in a Master of Social Work (MSW) program. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, or meet the requirements of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.. As a condition of employment, candidates must be fingerprinted and complete a background check. A prior criminal conviction is not necessarily disqualifying.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: Our office values diversity, is committed to equity and inclusion, and aspires to create a culture of mutual respect, collaboration, openness, and humility that honors the people we represent. We believe representation is better when members of the defense team have diverse backgrounds and experiences. We seek an intern who shares this belief and commitment. We embrace the unique contributions our employees can bring to the FPD because of their backgrounds, social identities, and lived experiences. We are interested in applicants’ talent, intelligence, dedication, and persistence, and desire to see that all people are treated fairly and respectfully – no matter the allegation or circumstance. The FPD seeks applications from a diverse group of qualified individuals in terms of race, ethnicity, nation of origin, culture, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual identity, education, opinions, age, languages spoken, veteran status, disability, religion, and socio-economic circumstance. We especially encourage applications from members of the BIPOC community, people who have been affected by the criminal legal system, and people from other underrepresented and historically marginalized groups.

Spanish language skills are preferred but not required.

Interested applicants should email their statement of interest, CV, and a writing sample to WAW_SWInternship@fd.org. For additional questions, please reach out to:

Kelly Trujillo, LICSW (she/her)
Social Worker/Mitigation Specialist
Federal Public Defender for Western Washington
Ph: 206.830.2946
Cell: 206.550.1212
kelly_trujillo@fd.org