Adult Felony PopulationAt — Sacramento County Office of the Public Defender
WThis position is within our Social Work Team, which serves adults involved in the criminal justice system who are facing felony and misdemeanor charges. The Public Defender’s Office is a multidisciplinary environment comprised of attorneys, social workers, and law students who collaborate to promote a holistic defense model. Our team works both within the criminal justice system—alongside Judges, District Attorneys, Probation, and jail staff—and across multiple county systems, including mental health, substance use, and homeless services. The goals of the Social Work Team are to reduce the jail population, identify and address client needs while in custody, coordinate jail releases, reduce recidivism, and promote public safety. We work with adults who face felony charges. Our social works work directly with not only clients but also
Interns will learn to identify the needs of the agency’s population and develop culturally responsive, evidence-based intervention plans, including client treatment plans and community-based interventions. Interns will apply assessment findings, research, and client values to select appropriate intervention strategies; use empathy, reflection, and strong interpersonal skills to engage diverse clients; and negotiate, mediate, and advocate on behalf of clients and constituencies. Interns will also collaborate with clients to establish mutually agreed-upon goals and objectives grounded in an assessment of strengths, needs, and challenges.
Interns will receive training in holistic defense and the role of social work within the Public Defender’s Office, including ethics and confidentiality in criminal legal settings, cultural humility, trauma-informed care, and professional boundaries. Clinical trainings will focus on assessment, motivational interviewing, crisis intervention, harm-reduction, and working with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Interns will also receive criminal justice–specific training on court processes, diversion and alternative sentencing, jail-based social work, and reentry planning, as well as systems navigation, documentation, interdisciplinary collaboration, self-care, and reflective clinical supervision.
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