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REMOTE TOWN HALL ON THE ROLE OF PUBLIC DEFENSE IN REENTRY
April 28, 2016
Moderated by:
Tracy Velázquez
Associate Director
Justice Programs Office, School of Public Affairs
American University
Jamie Argento Rodriguez
Chief, Community Defender Division
The Public Defender Service for
the District of Columbia
BJA Right to Counsel National Campaign
www.rtcnationalcampaign.org
Dr. Aleksandra Chauhan
Assistant Public Defender
Richland County Public Defender’s Office
Columbia, South Carolina
www.bjatraining.org
Dean M. Beer
Chief Public Defender
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
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The Public Defender Service
for the District of Columbia
Jamie Argento Rodriguez
Chief, Community Defender Division
The Public Defender Service for
the District of Columbia
www.bjatraining.org
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Community Defender Division
www.bjatraining.org
For more information, go to: http://www.pdsdc.org/about-us/legal-services/community-defender-division
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Prisoner and Reentry Legal Services
Prisoner and Reentry Legal Services provides LEGAL
representation and services for DC offenders who are
incarcerated and those who have an arrest, charge, or
conviction for a DC Code Offense and are in the
community. Areas of legal representation and services
include, but are not limited to:
• Reentry Legal Services including housing, employment,
public benefits, and some family law
• Record Sealing/Expungement
www.bjatraining.org
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Criminal Record Sealing and Expungement
For help with sealing or expunging your
criminal record, please call to speak with the
Duty Day lawyer, or visit:
Public Defender Service for the District
of Columbia (PDS)
2nd Floor Reception Area
633 Indiana Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004
Tel: (202) 628-1200
Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday
from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (excluding federal
and District holidays)
To watch the video, go to: http://www.pdsdc.org/need-legaladvice/record-sealing-and-expungement
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PDS’s Community Defender Division
680 Rhode Island Avenue, N.E. Suite H-5
Washington, D.C. 20002
Tel: (202) 824-2801
Walk-in Hours: Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. (excluding federal and District holidays),
or call to make an appointment.
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Juvenile Services Program
Origin of JSP: In 1982, just prior the initiation of the Jerry M. class
action, JSP was created to provide on-site representation/advocacy for
individual members of the class, upon request of the individual
resident.
Institutional role: provide representation at institutional
administrative disciplinary hearings, including administrative appeals,
upon request of the resident (see admin order); discuss legal matters
with residents and provide confidential phone/email access to
resident’s court-appointed legal counsel (or probation officer/case
manager); provide assistance/informal advocacy with institutional
concerns (medical, educational, behavioral health, segregation,
programmatic, etc); protect individual resident’s rights while in
detention or community based facility (shelter/group home); provide
legal rights education; provide advice and assistance with respect to
staff abuse and referral to Project Hands; provide orientation to
residents on the Intake unit (both facilities).
access in the past for its attorneys and law clerks to attend court
hearings and review court records, at the request of the client
(whether currently in detention or not).
Legal advice: at DYRS’s request, JSP reviews requests for
confidentiality waivers and provides information and advice to the
residents on this issue (for athletics, construction work, news or other
media-related tapings at the centers).
Liaison work: JSP sits on a variety of formal and informal committees
with other child-serving agencies and the court to provide a unique
voice for the residents that may be different from the Jerry M. or
juvenile trial voice.
Contact information:
Legal representation: currently JSP attorneys represent the majority
of the residents in administrative community status review hearings
(including administrative appeal) after confirming that the attorney of
record (whether PDS or CJA) is unavailable or prefers that JSP
represent the client at the administrative hearing AND after JSP
confirms that the client wants our representation. JSP also represents
youth at TDM or other agency-based/multi-disciplinary meetings. JSP
also assists counsel of record, at the request of the counsel and client,
in drafting motions, such as motions to reduce level
of detention, or
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motions for release for a specific event (funeral, outward bound trip,
etc). Related to this, JSP has requested and received court approved
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Nancy Glass, JSP Manager: (202) 824-2551 or (202) 4800411; nglass@pdsdc.org
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Brittany Mobley, JSP Staff Attorney: (202) 824-2797;
bmobley@pdsdc.org
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JSP Office at the Youth Services Center: (202) 576-8368
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JSP Office at New Beginnings Youth Development Center:
(202) 299- 3132/3223
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Richland County Public Defender’s Office
South Carolina
Dr. Aleksandra Chauhan
Assistant Public Defender
Richland County Public Defender’s Office
Columbia, South Carolina
D. Michael Mathison
Reentry Civil Attorney
Richland County Public Defender’s Office
Columbia, South Carolina
www.bjatraining.org
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Richland County Public
Defender’s Office
Adult Assistant
Public Defenders
Juvenile Assistant Public
Defenders
Juvenile Holistic Reentry Program
Aleksandra Chauhan, Ph.D., J.D.
Project Director
Tracey Tucker, J.D., MSW, LMSW
Social Worker
Youth Advocates- (2-4) MSW Students
D. Michael Mathison, J.D.
Civil Attorney
www.bjatraining.org
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Holistic Juvenile Reentry Program
The Juvenile Re-entry program aims to
help adolescents and their family reach
their goals and overcome barriers when
entering the community after detention.
EDUCATION
STRUCTURED
ACTIVITIES
JOB
READINESS
CIVIC
ENGAGEMENT
PHYSICAL AND
MENTAL
HEALTH
VISION: To end the cycle of court
involvement for youth while paving
pathways to success.
MISSION: To engage and support youth
and families in Richland County by
facilitating opportunities through creating
community connections and service
networks in order to help them reach their
goals.
SUPPORTIVE
ADULTS
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NJDC’S Juvenile PostDisposition Re-entry
Fellowship Program
Objective: to provide reentry civil
legal services to juvenile courtinvolved youth
Clients:
(1) under 25 YOA;
(2) have had involvement in
juvenile delinquency court; and
(3) are facing legal barriers to
employment, education,
housing, or public benefits
www.bjatraining.org
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NJDC’S Juvenile Post-Disposition
Re-entry Fellowship Program
Areas of Advocacy
 Educational Advocacy
 Benefits
 Special education/IEP
 Re-admission into the client’s local school
 Credit transfer from out-of-home placement
to local school
 School discipline matters
 Housing Matters




Eviction
Homeless
Transitional housing
Foster care




Disability benefits
Medicaid
Health insurance
Food stamps
 Employment




Driver’s license/ID
Other identification paperwork
Professional licensure
Debit/credit issues
 Record Clearing
 Sealing
 expungement
www.bjatraining.org
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Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania
Dean M. Beer
Chief Public Defender
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
www.bjatraining.org
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IMPLEMENTATION OF HOLISTIC PROGRAMS
AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH
A Step by Step Guide to Our Process
1. Exploration – Identify Needs of Your Clients/Community
2. Installation – Educate Yourself and Engage Stakeholders
3. Implementation – Get the Results You Want
4. Sustainability – Continue the Results to Change Policy
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EXPLORATION - Identify Needs
Identify Client Needs - Search Local Programs - Assess Capacity - Fidelity and Adaptation
Back on Track
Client Needs
use a holistic approach to
assess what’s driving behavior,
identify client needs,
challenges, assets, understand
their community
Search Local Programs
find one that fits
community/client needs and
your organization’s available
resources
Assess Capacity
financial resources,
organizational support,
community buy-in
Fidelity
stay true to the model and
carefully make adaptations
- Lack of probationary (community-based) services
for low level offenders
- High recidivism
-80-90% of juvenile crimes in MontCo are low level offenses
- Low income jurisdictions
- School districts with high arrest rates
- Young age at first LE contact
- Lack of parental involvement
- Lack of pro-social activities
Expungement Clinic
- High recidivism rates for clients denied basic opportunities
- Low level offenses related to barriers to employment,
housing and job training or higher education
- Several mentoring programs available
- Connected with Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (PLSE) for
- Explored ideas with many mentoring organizations
guidance on running a pro bono clinic
- Pursued a partnership with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of
- In turn, our program advanced the mission of their organization –
Southeastern PA, because they met most of the assessed needs of
educating the public about the chilling effects of criminal records
our target client group
- BBBS obtained grant funding to partner with us
- We presented juvenile attorneys with mentoring as an
additional, critical community-based service for their clients
- Garnered community support through a common mission to do
more to rehabilitate youth who enter the juvenile justice
system
- Presented the program to the District Attorney who offered
public and financial support
- Presented the program to our County Commissioners who
offered public support
- Needed staffing resources so we linked the Clinic to the Pro Bono
Program at Villanova Law School
- Developed a training curriculum for volunteers to provide
expungement services
- Engaged other stakeholders about the need, the social and economic
value, and our Clinic
- Implemented guidelines as to who would benefit from the service
(e.g., the Court Clerk waives all fees based on our own financial
assessments)
- Increased visibility of BBBS in Montgomery County
- Raise awareness of the effectiveness of their model
- Give our clients opportunities for successful intervention
- Give visibility to the issues centered around expungement law and
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justice policy reform
- Give our clients opportunities to successfully integrate back into their
communities as productive citizens
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INSTALLATION – Educate and Launch
Establish Implementation Team - Develop Performance Measures - Identify and Engage
“Champions”
Establish Team
strong understanding of
program to be
implemented
Performance
Measures
set up data collection to
track measures
Champions
influential people who
will galvanize support for
your program
Back on Track
Expungement Clinic
- We identified key staff members with a variety of
talents for implementation and training of juvenile
attorneys
- Juvenile Advocacy Unit attorneys and staff became
core implementation team
- Ongoing training and discussions about program
- Balanced volunteer/law student schedules with possible
client obligations or daytime commitments to set up a
weekly evening clinic in the office
- Policy Director trains volunteers and manages the Clinic
- Created a social history screening tool to assess
clients to be referred to the program
- Through data analysis, the screening tool also
helped to develop a profile of clients who benefit
most from the program
- Collect information that could be analyzed later
- Intake interviews assess demographic profiles and
hardships encountered due to record
- Data is gathered on all cases, types of hearings, and
expungements granted, denied or ineligible clients
- Established close connections with CEO of BBBS
- Villanova Law School – opportunities for students to gain
SEPA and tapped into their extensive
valuable practical experience, handling client
communications resources for messaging and
interviewing, criminal law and expungement law
recruitment
- Criminal Court clerks, probation officers and re-entry
- Developed a communications strategy with BBBS
service providers received information and now refer
SEPA, County Commissioners, District Attorney,
clients consistently
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Juvenile Probation, Juvenile Court Judge and media
outlets
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IMPLEMENTATION- Practical Approach
Manage the Change Process – Coaching - Maintain and Improve Service Maintain Integrated, Fully Functioning Core Program Components - Monitor and Evaluate Fidelity
Back on Track
Manage Change
mitigate fear and resistance,
maintain momentum of the
initiative, set realistic goals,
expectations and timeline
Coaching
feedback and support to staff,
manage expectations
Expungement Clinic
- Created consistent messaging to staff attorneys explaining the benefits of
- Unexpected push back by private bar/attorneys who specialize in expungements –
an additional community-based resource for advocacy and client success
we establish strict criteria (must have been represented by PD and continue to
- Shared victories, reflections from Bigs, Littles and parents on the impact of
meet indigent guidelines)
the program, and positive life/case transformations with attorneys, media, - To meet demand, we expanded opportunities for assistance by creating
supporters and through community outreach events
community clinics
- Consistent re-evaluation of the program and processes for successful
- To manage expectations of clients who are ineligible for expungement, we now
matches
provide informational resources and contacts such as Goodwill (job training and
- Public Defender immersed into BBBS model by ongoing, open
resume building for ex-offenders); referrals to pardon clinics, and referrals to
conversations and attending national conference
PLSE and other organizations providing civil assistance for criminal record-based
- PD immersed BBBS into our world of Juvenile Defense as well as our client
discrimination
needs and struggles through detention center and court tours, meetings
and trainings
- Consistent discussions with BBBS and attorneys on what is working/or not
(referrals, parent contact and communication)
Maintain and Improve Service, - Held a “Call to Action Forum” to identify and recruit social activist to
volunteer, developed a support system for one another
Linkages, Support
- Introducing holistic practice to attorneys by demonstrating how we can prevent
recidivism through assistance after the case is resolved
stay connected with contacts and
support
- Held a press conference featuring county commissioners, District Attorney,
Chief Public Defender, BBBS and a Big
- BBBS CEO promotes BOT at regional and national events
- Community Expungement Clinics provide outreach and connections in local
communities
- Service providers and justice stakeholders began referring clients
- Established a strong, ongoing support network with PLSE, Philadelphia “Pardon
Me” Clinic, and SEPA Legal Aid
Maintain Core Components
- Consistent reviews and meetings with BBBS
- Adaptations to referral criteria, timing of referrals, facilitation of intake
interviews
- Flexibility with students schedules accommodates increases in
paperwork/volume, allows students to work on data collection, while the clinic
hours are static
- Periodic review of eligible juveniles who did or did not choose to
participate (recidivism rates higher among non-participants; improved
academic achievement for participants)
- We are beginning to measure outcomes via telephone surveys
watch for necessary adaptations
Fidelity
ensure that the program is being
delivered as designed
- We have received positive feedback on the goodwill and trust we have developed
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within the community because we are seeing our clients through to the end of
their cases and strive to get them back on their feet
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SUSTAINABILITY- Keep the Work Going
Plan for Future Funding - Ensure Fidelity to Core Program Components - Develop and Implement
Quality Improvement – Evaluate Data Systems - Community Partnerships - Share Positive Results
Back on Track
Future Funding
volunteer base, internships, grants,
budget proposals
Fidelity
institutionalize the program to
survive organizational changes and
program adaptations
Quality Improvem’t
regular review process and
performance measures
Evaluate Data Systems
capture accurate and relevant
information, analyze unexpected
results
Community Partners
develop new partnerships and
maintain existing ones
Share Results
maintain buy-in/support: staff,
partners, community
Expungement Clinic
- Use performance measures to secure future funding
- BBBS and mentoring grants are a possibility
- To avoid funding/increased personnel needs while addressing consistent growth of
the program, law student training sessions and pro bono attorney outreach has
increased
- Structurally, we have developed a strong system of assessment and referral - Justice stakeholders have begun to rely on the Clinic as an efficient and convenient
through the Juvenile Advocacy Unit, liaison, advocacy and communication
way to assure that expungements for indigent clients are handled uniformly and
through the Policy Director, and organizational commitment and personnel
expeditiously through the Public Defender Office
restructuring at BBBS
- Clients have renewed faith in the system now that Public Defenders are providing
- The Juvenile Probation Office and the Juvenile Court have become
assistance beyond the courtroom, to give them back their lives
proponents who refer candidates to our office for program assessment
- In order to accommodate growing demand for expungements, law students are
- District Attorney, Juvenile Probation and Public Defender are now applying
supervised two (2) evenings per week and client interview times have expanded
for joint county funding
- Regular consistent meetings with juvenile attorneys and BBBS staff
- Ongoing updates and feedback to our champions
- We have developed a resource information bank for clients who are ineligible for
expungement and cannot find employment, housing, etc., so that they leave
feeling empowered and hopeful rather than discouraged
- Anecdotal and statistical information show positive outcomes which will
support continued implementation of this program (life success and
placement cost savings)
- Existing data tracking has uncovered additional patterns for future policy
reform efforts, e.g., a striking number of juvenile candidates have
experienced more than one form of trauma but receive little or no specific
treatment
- Through recruitment efforts, we have identified police officers, church
leaders, and social activists who promote this program in the community
- Many connections established through this program have become core
proponents of each new policy initiative
- Stanford Model – measuring the economic and social benefits of expungements –
interns will conduct telephone surveys of expungement clients to measure
improvements in quality of life and productivity at various stages after
expungement; results may be presented in a future budget proposal and for policy
reform efforts
- Multiple newspaper articles, sharing success stories with additional
stakeholders
- Twice we have been invited to present program goals and outcomes to the
countywide Children’s Roundtable
- In addition to Villanova Law and PLSE, we have partnered with local colleges and a
YWCA, to offer expungement clinics
- We offer attorney training through the state bar
- We speak at community events to educate the public and support legislative
reform
- Newspaper articles and client consent to share vignettes brings public attention
and support
- Cost-benefit analysis may be shared with Commissioners for budget purposes
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Justice Programs Office
School of Public Affairs, American University
4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20016
Email: Preeti Menon pmenon@American.edu
Genevieve Citrin citrin@American.edu
CONTACT US
Aleksandra Chauhan, Ph.D, J.D.
Assistant Public Defender
Richland County
1701 Main Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Email: ChauhanA@rcgov.us
Right to Counsel National Campaign
@right2counsel
#right2counsel
Jamie Argento Rodriguez
Chief, Community Defender Division
Public Defender Service for the District of
Columbia
680 Rhode Island Avenue NE Suite H
Washington, DC 20002
Email: jrodriguez@pdsdc.org
Website: www.rtcnationalcampaign.org
www.bjatraining.org
This project was supported by Grant Number 2013‐DB‐BX‐K003 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice
Programs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed during this webinar are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Dean Beer
Montgomery County Courthouse
2nd floor
P.O. Box 311
Norristown, PA 19404-0311
Email: Dbeer@montcopa.org