WHO WE ARE

The Charter County of Wayne is Michigan's largest county. We are home to 34 cities and nine townships. From Rockwood to Livonia, from Sumpter Township to the Grosse Pointes, each community in Wayne County offers residents and businesses a unique blend of opportunity to live, work, play and raise families. Headquartered in Detroit, our largest city and the automotive capital of the world, Wayne County offers a diversified economy and high standards for our residents' quality of life. Our history is rich and we take pride in being one of the most diverse communities that values culture, arts, and world-class amenities. Wayne County provides leadership that ensures the County operates efficiently, effectively, and responsibly. We provide transparently while building a stronger County inclusive of collaborations, innovation, and a clear focus on serving our residents.

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.

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).