Social Worker Meetup: Supporting Preparation for Parole and Reentry

It has been said that preparation for reentry begins on the day of arrest, and as mitigation specialists, sentencing advocates, dispositional advocates, social workers, and others meeting with clients to learn their story, we are also focusing on learning what they can go back to or towards in their future. This week’s meetup will focus on how we support and prepare clients for their parole hearing and/or return to the community at the end of their sentence, or even earlier, upon release on bond. We will look at the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth’s Parole Preparation Toolkit, and hopefully you will bring the tools and resources you use and the ideas you have!

Stephanne Cline Thornton is a West Virginia native who has worked in and around criminal defense and mitigation for more than 20 years in Georgia, Colorado, and West Virginia. She is currently the Clinical Director for the West Virginia Judicial and Lawyer Assistance Program, and owner of Transform Legal, a consultancy focused on mitigation, training, and sustainability. As a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Master Addiction Counselor, Stephanne focuses on proper assessment for and access to trauma and substance use disorder treatment to ensure the health and well-being of affected individuals. Stephanne is on the Trauma-Informed Care Network Speakers Bureau and uses that platform to call attention to the intersection of secondary traumatic stress and legal practice. She approaches her work with clients, lawyers, social workers, and mitigation specialists through a contextualized mitigation lens.