Social Worker Meetup, The Client Meeting: How To Get Ready, What To Ask
2025-09-03 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-worker-meetup-the-client-meeting-how-to-get-ready-what-to-ask/
This meetup will explore how we get ready for the client meeting (the first and subsequent), how we prepare, what we bring, how many meetings we schedule and the content of those meetings. This is a space for us to share what we ask, share forms we may use, ideas and tips on how we navigate difficult conversations, and what we put into place to help conclude the meeting by being trauma-sensitive.
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.

Promoting Health and Well-Being among Justice-Involved Populations: A Call on Criminal Justice, Forensic Mental Health, and Legal Professionals to Become Lifestyle Medicine and Health Coaching Informed
2025-09-09 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/promoting-health-and-well-being-among-justice-involved-populations/
Justice-involved individuals are not only more likely than the general population to suffer from physical and mental health issues, but these co-occurring conditions can increase the risk of future criminal behavior. Lifestyle medicine (LM) and health coaching are two promising approaches that can help improve short- and long-term outcomes for this population. Focused on building and maintaining overall health, LM is composed of six pillars: (a) a diet centered on whole foods and plants, (b) regular exercise, (c) restorative sleep, (d) effective stress management, (e) minimal use of harmful substances (e.g., alcohol and drugs), and (f) ensuring positive social interactions. Complementing LM, health coaching helps encourage behavioral changes with a patient-centered approach, which is characterized by motivational interviewing techniques (e.g., active listening). Research shows LM and health coaching can help prevent, manage, and treat chronic illnesses and may also reduce the risk of recidivism during re-entry and community supervision (e.g., parole and probation). Designed for criminal justice and forensic professionals, this training introduces how LM and health coaching can help address physical and mental health issues among justice-involved individuals. Attendees will learn how LM and health coaching can be integrated into biopsychosocial frameworks during intake, screening and assessment, case planning, and treatment. Key learning objectives will be reinforced by highlighting case studies throughout this training.

Jerrod Brown, Ph.D., M.A., M.S., M.S., M.S., is a professor, trainer, researcher, and consultant with multiple years of experience teaching collegiate courses. Jerrod is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS). Jerrod is also the founder and co-editor-in-chief of Forensic Scholars Today (FST). Jerrod has also provided consultation services to a number of caregivers, professionals, and organizations pertaining to topics related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), intellectual and developmental disabilities, confabulation, suggestibility, sleep disturbances, serious and persistent mental health disorders, trauma and other life adversities, alexithymia, executive dysfunction, criminal recidivism, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and youth firesetting. Jerrod has completed four separate master’s degree programs and holds graduate certificates in Medical Biochemistry, Exercise Prescription, Dyslexia, Neuroscience and the Law, Neuropsychology, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Other Health Disabilities (OHD), and Traumatic-Brain Injuries (TBI). In 2021, Jerrod completed a post-doctoral certificate in Leadership and Organizational Strategy from Walden University and a Professional Certificate in Forensic Psychology from San Diego State University Global Campus. In 2023, Jerrod completed a diabetes care and education certificate from Central Arizona College. Currently, Jerrod is pursuing his fifth master’s degree in Applied Clinical Nutrition from Northeast College of Health Sciences. Jerrod also holds a wide range of professional certifications and has completed several comprehensive training programs. Jerrod has also conducted over 300 workshops, webinars, and on-demand trainings for various organizations and professional and student audiences. Jerrod has published several articles and book chapters, and previously co-edited the book Forensic Mental Health: A Source Guide for Professionals (Brown & Weinkauf, 2018) with Erv Weinkauf. Jerrod has also been quoted in various magazines, newspapers, and other professional outlets and has appeared in two documentaries related to the topic of FASD. Jerrod is also regularly featured on several national and international podcast programs.

Racial Justice Meetup - September Edition
2025-09-09 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Racial Justice Advocates,

The RACIAL JUSTICE MEETUP is back! For the September 2025 edition, Eyvin Hernandez will lead us in a presentation entitled RESIST: A Meaningful Discussion on Defeating ICE & Fascism in the Interest of Racial Justice.

Join us for this timely meetup. Meetup flyer and agenda, as well as the speaker bio, will be posted on the listserv.

Not on the Racial Justice listserv? Send your request to be added to BGT, DEIJ Coordinator, at Brittanygt@publicdefenders.us.

See you soon, NAPD!

Defending Families, Protecting Futures: The Frontlines of Defense Advocacy Skills Training
2025-09-10 10:00 - 2025-09-12 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Hyatt Regency Seattle, 808 Howell St, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States
The National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) is excited to host its inaugural national Defending Families, Protecting Futures: The Frontlines of Defense Advocacy Skills Training at the Hyatt Regency in Seattle, WA, from September 10th to 12th. This significant event is a collaboration between NAPD, the Washington State Office of Public Defense, and Akin Parents for Parents.
This national conference is designed to offer intensive skills training and valuable networking opportunities for all public defense professionals dedicated to working with families. Whether you are an attorney, investigator, parent peer, social worker, or dispositional advocate, this conference is tailored to your needs. The dynamic agenda will feature a variety of learning formats, including plenary sessions, concurrent sessions, and small group breakouts, led by recognized experts from both national and local levels.
A central theme of the conference will be the development of practical skills for client-centered representation in family defense. Attendees will gain and refine effective techniques to best advocate for parents, acknowledging the comprehensive approach necessary for positive outcomes in child welfare cases.
Our partnership with the Washington State Office of Public Defense emphasizes a shared commitment to excellence in public defense. Additionally, Akin Parents for Parents, an organization focused on reuniting and empowering families within the child welfare system, will contribute crucial insights and a vital parent-centered perspective to our discussions. This collaboration highlights the significant role of parent allies and support in dependency actions.
We anticipate that attendees will leave the conference with enhanced practical skills, innovative strategies, and a strengthened network of colleagues committed to delivering high-quality, client-centered representation and support to families navigating complex legal challenges in family defense and child welfare cases.
See the 2025 agenda here!
Registration
Don’t miss this opportunity, registration closes August 30, 2025!
Need help with this registration process? Watch this video.
Be sure to review NAPD’s Event Policies to learn more about our attendance and cancellation policies.
Costs

Member Early Bird: $350 (Early-bird registration ended on July 25, 2025)
Member Regular: $475
Non-Member Early Bird: $500 (Early-bird registration ended on July 25, 2025)
Non-Member Regular: $600

Hotel Reservations
We have worked with the Hyatt Regency (the venue of the conference) to secure a block of rooms. Book your room using this link before 8/25/25. We recommend booking early!
Transportation to & from the Airport
Ride-share, door-to-door vans, and airport shuttle services are available to passengers at the Ground Transportation Plaza on the third floor in the SEA Airport parking garage. Premier Airport Shuttle Seattle offers shared and private shuttle service starting from $34.35 per person to Downtown Seattle hotels and also offers regularly scheduled Seattle cruise ship transfers. Hotel courtesy shuttles pick up and drop off passengers on the 3rd floor of the airport parking garage at Islands 1 & 2.
Additional information can be found here – https://visitseattle.org/visitor-information/getting-around/

View the NAPD 2025 Family Defense Conference schedule & directory.

Investigator Supervisor Meetup - Open Chat - 2:00 ET, 1:00 CT, 12:00 MT, 11:00 PT
2025-09-10 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-supervisor-meetup-open-chat-9-10-25/
Hi investigators in a supervisory role,
it will be the second Wednesday of the month , so let’s chat about how things are in your offices, with your cases and clients.
See you Wednesday!

Social Worker Meetup: Being Trauma-Informed and Trauma Sensitive In Our Work
2025-09-17 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-worker-meetup-being-trauma-informed-and-trauma-sensitive-in-our-work/
As we develop mitigation and begin to build rapport and a relationship with our clients, we are constantly aware of the harms that have been done to them, whether individually or on a macro level by communities or oppressive systems. Being trauma-informed and trauma sensitive helps us to not perpetuate those continued harms and abuses, but what does that look like? How do we keep in balance being trauma sensitive while also asking really personal and probing questions? We will spend this meetup talking about that balance, both from the perspective of the techniques we use as well as the moral quandary this poses for us in our work.
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.

Social Worker Supervisors Discussion Meetup
2025-09-18 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-worker-supervisors-discussion-meetup-2/
This meetup is for supervisors of social workers, mitigation specialists, sentencing advocates, dispositional specialists, etc. – for those supervising these and similar roles in public defense offices. This month’s discussion meetup will continue from our conversation in August.
Kevin Bishop, LCSW, is the Social Worker Coordinator for the Colorado Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel, and Stephanne Thornton, LICSW, is the Social Work Training and Resource Coordinator for NAPD.

Building a Holistic Defense: Leveraging Special Education Law for Your Clients
2025-09-18 14:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/building-a-holistic-defense-leveraging-special-education-law-for-your-clients/
School Justice Project (SJP) uses special education law to ensure that older, court-involved students with disabilities can access a quality education, whether they are incarcerated or in the community. By integrating special education law into the criminal defense context, special education attorneys can increase access to education, decrease future court contact, improve case outcomes, and reshape the education and justice landscapes for older court-involved students with disabilities. Special education attorneys can play a critical role in preserving both the substantive education rights and liberty interests of young people. Having access to free special education legal services as part of a holistic defense team can disrupt the pipeline that funnels older court-involved students with disabilities from the juvenile system into the adult criminal system.

Join this training to get an overview of how public defenders can leverage special education law for better client outcomes. Learn strategies for integrating a persuasive disability framework into defense advocacy. Gain skills in identifying various leverage points to advance a client’s education rights throughout the life of a criminal case. Learn strategies for developing special education-related mitigation and release plans in advance of sentencing. Finally, there will be a focus on integrating education advocacy throughout the reentry process.

Aubrey Dillon is the Managing Attorney at School Justice Project (SJP) where he leads a team of special education attorneys who represent system involved young people. In working with special education students, SJP attorneys fight for access to education, mitigate the harms of the criminal legal system, and work to disrupt the deep end of the school to prison pipeline. Aubrey joined SJP after over twelve years as a public defender advocating for our most marginalized community members facing accusations ranging from traffic violations to homicide charges. He is a proud alum of Queens Defenders (formerly known as Queens Law Associates), the Maryland Office of the Public Defender and the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where he served as a Supervising Attorney. He has handled dozens of jury trials, hundreds of bench trials, and has represented thousands of individual clients. He holds a B.A. summa cum laude in Women’s and Gender Studies and Political Science from the City University of New York-Hunter College and a J.D. from Berkeley Law School. Prior to law school, Aubrey worked in the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. Aubrey is an attorney admitted to practice in DC, Maryland, and New York and speaks Spanish.

Investigator Meetup 09/19/2025 - Open Chat - 2:00 ET, 1:00 CT, 12:00 MT, 11:00 PT
2025-09-19 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-meetup-09-19-2025-open-chat-200-et-100-ct-1200-mt-1100-pt/
We are going to get together and talk about what’s on your mind. Including what’s been going with you, your office and client’s.
Join us this Friday!!

DEIJ MEETUP - the September 2025 edition
2025-09-24 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
The DEIJ MEETUP is back and for the September 2025 edition we will be led by John Lozada, Esq. We look forward to John’s presentation – Bias in our Legal Representation – Sharing Concerns and Experiences in Addressing Courts and Administrative Agencies, from the Challenge to Response.
Don’t miss this meetup! The meetup materials and Zoom link will be posted on the listserv.
See you soon, DEIJ!

Social Worker Meetup: Supporting Preparation for Parole and Reentry
2025-10-08 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/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.

Investigator Supervisor Meetup - Open Chat 2025-10-08
2025-10-08 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-supervisor-meetup-open-chat-2025-10-08-2/
Hi investigators in a supervisory role,
it will be the second Wednesday of the month , so let’s chat about how things are in your offices, with your cases and clients.
See you Wednesday at 2:00 ET, 1:00 CT, 12:00 MT, 11:00 PT!
Jon

Just Juries - Balancing the Scales of the Jury Box
2025-10-09 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/just-juries-balancing-the-scales-of-the-jury-box/
Join The Juror Project’s Director, William C. Snowden, Esq. and Deputy Director, Porsha-Shaf’on Venable, Esq., as they educate our people about jury service and jury nullification. Through their work, these amazing advocates “aim to change the makeup of juries to better represent the American population and the communities most commonly accused.” They do “this through community and public education about jury eligibility and the jury selection process and the power jurors hold in America’s high stakes criminal justice system.”

Come learn how to better advocate for balancing the scales in the jury box for true justice for all. REGISTER TODAY! Registration is FREE for NAPD members.

William C. Snowden (he/him/his) is the Director of The Juror Project and a professor at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. His work is grounded in a simple truth: exclusion is not accidental.

As a former public defender in New Orleans, he represented people forced to stand trial in courtrooms designed to convict them. He later served as Executive Director of the Vera Institute of Justice in Louisiana, where he advanced efforts to eliminate money bail, reduce jail populations, and shift power toward communities.

Through public education, legal scholarship, and grassroots organizing, Will challenges the myths of fairness that surround the jury system. He exposes how civic participation has been weaponized to protect institutions rather than people. His work does not ask for faith in the system. It calls for clear vision, informed resistance, and collective presence in the places where decisions are made about our lives.

Learn more about William and the Juror Project here.

Porsha-Shaf’on Venable, Esq. is the Deputy Director of The Juror Project, where she supports programming, strategy, and partnerships aimed at increasing civic participation and dismantling exclusion in the jury system.

A licensed attorney and social worker based in the Bronx, she brings a background in public defense, forensic social work, and legal education. She previously served with The Bronx Defenders and the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, where she held roles as a staff attorney, forensic social worker, and team leader. Porsha holds a J.D. from California Western School of Law and an M.S.W. from NYU. She has trained public defenders and legal advocates across the country on jury selection, jury nullification, and trial strategy through platforms like the Black Public Defender Association and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Her work is rooted in building community power through legal knowledge and public access to justice while simultaneously co-creating a world that prioritizes accountability over punishment.

Learn more about Porsha-Shaf’on and the Juror Project here.

Social Worker Supervisor Discussion Meetup
2025-10-16 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-worker-supervisor-discussion-meetup/
This meetup is a discussion for and with social worker supervisors supervising social workers, sentencing advocates, dispositional advocates, mitigation specialists and others performing these roles in indigent defense offices.
Stephanne Thornton, NAPD Social Work Training and Resource Coordinator and Kevin Bishop, Social Worker Coordinator for the Colorado Office of the Alternate Defense Counsel

Antiracist Expert Evidence: An Exploration of Racism
2025-10-23 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/antiracist-expert-evidence-an-exploration-of-racism/
Antiracist Expert Evidence: An Exploration of Racism & Its Relevance in Criminal Defense Litigation
Demonstrating the influence of racism is vital to the practice of criminal defense, yet many attorneys do not know how to prove racism in court. Visiting Assistant Professor Asees Bhasin, Esq. and Professor Jasmine Gonzales Rose, Esq. surveyed over seven hundred criminal-defense attorneys across the United States, and nearly half had never heard of expert witnesses testifying or submitting written reports on racism—what we call “antiracist expert evidence.” This finding would be unremarkable if such experts were unhelpful, but nearly ninety percent of surveyed attorneys expected that antiracist expert evidence would benefit their criminal-defense practices.
In this webinar, they will present the findings of the article, Antiracist Expert Evidence, published in the Yale Law Journal in 2025. This article conceptualizes, categorizes, and instantiates six different expressions, manifestations, or mechanisms of racism relevant to criminal defense: (1) racist affiliations and views; (2) racist language, sounds, and imagery; (3) racial stereotypes; (4) racial disparities; (5) implicit racial bias; and (6) the impact of racism on health and behavior. It also analyzes survey results showing criminal-defense attorneys’ levels of familiarity with antiracist expert evidence, their perceptions of its utility, and the barriers they anticipate to its introduction. This article then examines these barriers and identifies means of overcoming them.
This webinar will cover all of these facets and facilitate a discussion about the use of such evidence in criminal defense practice. You don’t want to miss it!
Questions and concerns? Contact BGT, Webinar Lead, with any questions and/or concerns at Brittanygt@publicdefenders.us.

Professor Jasmine Gonzales Rose is a leading evidence scholar whose work examines how race, language, and racism shape legal proof and influence who can serve as factfinders in the justice system. Rooted in critical race studies and drawing from epistemology and sociolinguistics, her research explores and reimagines evidence law to enhance fairness, accuracy, and equity.
She is Professor of Law and an award-winning teacher at Boston University School of Law, where she currently teaches Evidence, Criminal Law, and LatinXs and the Law, and previously served as Associate Dean for Equity, Justice, and Engagement. Before joining Boston University, she taught for nearly a decade at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
A graduate of Harvard Law School, Professor Gonzales Rose clerked for Judge Damon J. Keith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and Judge Héctor M. Laffitte of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. She serves on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Advisory Committee on Evidence Law and has led antiracist legal policy initiatives both within academia and the broader community.
She has served on the boards of the American Civil Liberties Union of Greater Pittsburgh and the Abolitionist Law Center, the latter founded by her former students.
Asees Bhasin is a visiting assistant professor of law and Donald Gaines Murray Fellow. She teaches in the first-year Lawyering Program. Her research focuses on critical evidence law, race and the law, reproductive justice, and the intersections between these fields. She is particularly curious about how seemingly neutral rules of procedure contribute to the marginalization of people and communities along race and gender lines.
Previously, Professor Bhasin worked at Boston University, where her research focused on the rules of evidence, and the use of expert witnesses to prove racism in criminal trials. Before that, she was a senior research fellow at the Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy at Yale University where she researched and wrote on health law and racism. She began her legal career as a Georgetown Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow at the National Partnership for Women & Families in Washington, D.C. where her advocacy was centered on reproductive rights, and maternal and infant health.
Professor Bhasin’s scholarship has appeared or is forthcoming in the Yale Law Journal, the Indiana Health Law Review, the North Carolina Journal of Law and Technology, and the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal. She received a joint JD-LLB degree from Georgetown University Law Center and King’s College London. She was born and raised in New Delhi, India.

Investigator Meetup 10-24-2025 - Open Chat
2025-10-24 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-meetup-10-24-2025-open-chat/
This Friday we will be having an open chat for our meetup. What are your challenges for your position, within your office, your client or just want to run an idea past your fellow investigators throughout the country, come join us! Our meeting time is: 2:00 ET, 1:00 CT, 12:00 MT, 11:00 PT

Racial Justice Conference 2025
2025-10-27 09:00 - 2025-10-30 12:00 (America/New_York) | Renaissance Montgomery Hotel, 201 TALLAPOOSA STREET, MONTGOMERY, AL, 36104, United States
Registration for the RJC is now closed! We can’t wait for you to #MeetUsInMontgomery!

CLE Certificates now available. If you’ve already purchased your ticket to the conference, click here to purchase the CLE add-on.

Join the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) for the sixth annual Racial Justice Conference (“RJC”), as we return to Montgomery, Alabama, one of the historic homes of the Civil Rights Movement. NAPD is proud to host this immersive and transformative conference, designed to enhance your understanding of racial justice and your ability to fight for it in your work as a public defense professional.
Featuring highly respected speakers from across the nation, RJC is an unparalleled opportunity to explore three key areas that impact our pursuit of justice for clients of color.
First, we will examine how we, as individuals, approach race and how we can work to overcome our own biases and preconceptions.
Second, we will explore how public defender offices address race in their workplaces, and how we can create policies and practices that promote racial equity and fairness.
Finally, we will delve into effective strategies for challenging racial bias and discrimination wherever we encounter it.
Through a range of educational opportunities, you will gain the tools and insights needed to be a more effective advocate for racial justice in your work as a public defense professional. You will also have opportunities to connect with colleagues from across the country who share your commitment to advancing the cause of justice for all.
Click here to view the Racial Justice Conference schedule!
RJC Includes Visits to the Equal Justice Initiative’s Sites
RJC also includes visits to the Equal Justice Initiative’s The Legacy Museum, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and the new Freedom Monument Sculpture Park.
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New Exclusive Evening Keynote & Awards Event Available: Rooted to Rise Above
Don’t miss this exclusive event featuring Bryan Stevenson as the Keynote Speaker.

This year, we are offering a limited premium registration that includes access to an exclusive evening keynote and awards event. Rooted to Rise Above is an evening ceremony that honors and uplifts the practice of holistic public defense, recognizing individuals and teams who exemplify client-centered, comprehensive advocacy.
Space is ultra-limited for this event. Secure your premium registration NOW!
We are SO excited for this! You do not want to miss this!
Need to purchase a ticket to just for the Keynote Address & Awards Ceremony? Want to upgrade your standard registration to a premium ticket? Grab your ticket here or email us.

Be sure to review NAPD’s Event Policies to learn more about our attendance and cancellation policies.

BOOK YOUR HOTEL ROOM WITH OUR ROOM BLOCK
Our room block is at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center.
Click here to book your room.
We have a limited number of rooms. Please book early to ensure you get the best rate.
The last day to book using our room block is Wednesday, October 1, 2025.

CONVINCE YOUR BOSS
Need some help convincing your boss? Review and use our Convince Your Boss Resources. There, we provide a sample letter and other information to assist you in convincing your office to approve your RJC attendance.

SPONSORSHIP & DONATION OPPORTUNITIES
Interested in being a Sponsor? Contact us to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
Would you like to donate to our RJC scholarships? Donate to support scholarships for this conference here. Leave a comment, “RJC,” to apply it to this conference.
This years R.E.A.L. scholarship winners are here: R.E.A.L. Scholarship winners
MORE QUESTIONS
We will be happy to assist you! Contact us here with your inquiry.

* Ticket availability may be further restricted based on overall conference registration. Both the standalone and upgrade ticket options may expire at any time as standalone tickets or upgrading depends on ticket availability.

Social Worker Meetup: Mitigation Addressing the Over-Representation of People Experiencing Poverty
2025-10-29 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-worker-meetup-mitigation-addressing-the-over-representation-of-people-experiencing-poverty/
We know that people experiencing poverty are over represented in the criminal legal system because we see these individuals in indigent defense. There is a cost to the legal system that exacerbates poverty and unfairly punishes those who are unable to meet their most basic needs. During this meetup we will discuss ways that we can advocate against the collateral impact the legal system has on people experiencing poverty, how – through mitigation – we can help the Court better understand the individual and reduce collateral consequences, how we can utilize and broker resources to support basic needs for individuals who are under resourced.
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.

Blind Spots: Seeing the Bias that Hurts our Clients
2025-11-05 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/blind-spots-seeing-the-bias-that-hurts-our-clients/
This dynamic and client-centered webinar explores how implicit bias shapes the daily practice of criminal defense. From jury selection to client communication, attorneys make high-stakes decisions influenced by unconscious assumptions. Using research, real-life examples, humor, and strategy, this presentation gives lawyers and nonlawyers practical tools to recognize and interrupt bias-without shame or defensiveness. Teaching Goals . . . To define implicit bias and explain how it differs from racism and prejudice To identify ways bias can affect clients, jurors, and witnesses during representation To apply practical strategies to reduce bias in courtroom decision making and advocacy.
Kenneth Hardin
Kenneth is the founding Executive Director of Harris County’s first Managed Assigned Counsel (MAC) Office in Houston, Texas. As the former MAC Director, Kenneth led an office that managed the appointment process and provided holistic services for attorneys qualified to accept misdemeanor appointments in the third largest county in the nation. Prior to his appointment, Kenneth practiced at both the Harris County Public Defender’s Office in Houston, TX and his “home” office of the Orleans Public Defender’s Office in New Orleans, LA. Being born and raised Louisiana, he received his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University (LSU) before graduating law school from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, Texas. Kenneth has handled and tried several cases over his career including but not limited to drug, burglary, robbery, murder, and rape cases. Kenneth is also very active on increasing community awareness regarding the negative implications of mass incarceration. Kenneth was featured on BET’s “the DA versus Black America” in 2016 as well “60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper” in 2017 discussing the impact of underfunded public defender offices. In 2018, Kenneth co-hosted a full day seminar for the NFL and New Orleans Saints on oppression in the criminal justice system and the challenges that public defenders have in changing the narrative. Kenneth is licensed to practice law in Texas, Louisiana, and in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Additionally, Kenneth is recurring faculty for the Harvard Trial Advocacy Program (in Cambridge, Massachusetts), a graduate and recurring faculty at Gideon’s Promise (in Atlanta, Georgia), a former board member for Gideon’s Promise, a graduate of National Criminal Defense College, a graduate of the Louisiana Defender Training Institute, and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. In 2019, Kenneth was the recipient of the Stephen B. Bright Public Defender Award—a national award given annually in recognition to attorneys on their contribution to improving the quality of indigent defense.

Social Worker Meetup: Team Representation
2025-11-12 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/team-representation/
Mitigation specialists, dispositional advisors, sentencing advocates, social workers, and others in similar roles are part of the defense team. However, it is not always clear in all offices or on all teams what role we can or should play on the team. The value and range of skills we can add to the team’s representation is sometimes hidden within our teams and offices; how can we shine a light on our talents and establish our expertise as a valuable member of the team? How can we enhance collaboration across the team in the process? This meetup will discuss these topics and source some ideas from the group to discuss how we are connecting, collaborating, and shining our lights on our skills!
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.

Investigator Supervisor Meetup - Evaluations
2025-11-12 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-supervisor-meetup-evals-2025-11-12/
Hi investigators in a supervisory role,
it’s the second Wednesday of the month , how do we do write evaluations now that we are the boss? How do give feedback without offending and yet, get them to where they need to be? Let’s chat on how your office handles this process, what forms you use, and how does it effect your investigator’s paycheck too.
See you Wednesday – 2:00 ET, 1:00 CT, 12:00 MT, 11:00 PT

Investigator Meetup: -Open Chat
2025-11-14 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-meetup-11-14-2025/
This Friday we will be having an open chat for our meetup. What are your challenges for your position, within your office, your client or just want to run an idea past your fellow investigators throughout the country, come join us!
See you at 2:00 EST 1:00 CST 12:00 MST 11:00 TODAY!

Chronic Health Problems Among Justice-Involved Individuals: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions
2025-11-18 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/chronic-health-problems-among-justice-involved-individuals/
Justice-involved individuals are more likely than the general population to experience chronic health problems (e.g., obesity-related health problems, type 2 diabetes, respiratory diseases, and chronic pain). These conditions usually last for prolonged durations and require ongoing medical treatment. Further, chronic health problems frequently have high comorbidity rates with mental health issues (e.g., depression and trauma) and behavioral problems (e.g., substance use). When these conditions go unrecognized or untreated, affected individuals often struggle to maintain employment, care for themselves, navigate the criminal justice system, reenter society, and comply with the conditions of community supervision (i.e., probation and parole). This innovative training is designed to increase awareness about chronic health problems and their consequences in criminal justice settings. Attendees will learn about the causes, risk factors, and common co-occurring conditions for chronic health problems including cognitive deficits (e.g., executive dysfunction), dietary practices, food insecurity, mental health problems (e.g., alexithymia, anxiety, and depression), sedentary behaviors, sleep problems, social isolation, stress, substance misuse, traumatic brain injuries, and other pre-existing conditions. The training will conclude by identifying multidisciplinary, holistic, integrative, and health-promoting screening, intake, intervention, and treatment approaches that can help address the nuanced physical, cognitive, and behavioral health needs of justice-involved individuals. Empirically based research findings are highlighted throughout this training.
Jerrod Brown, Ph.D., M.A., M.S., M.S., M.S., is a professor, trainer, researcher, and consultant with multiple years of experience teaching collegiate courses. Jerrod is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS). Jerrod is also the founder and co-editor-in-chief of Forensic Scholars Today (FST). Jerrod has also provided consultation services to a number of caregivers, professionals, and organizations pertaining to topics related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), intellectual and developmental disabilities, confabulation, suggestibility, sleep disturbances, serious and persistent mental health disorders, trauma and other life adversities, alexithymia, executive dysfunction, criminal recidivism, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and youth firesetting. Jerrod has completed four separate master’s degree programs and holds graduate certificates in Medical Biochemistry, Exercise Prescription, Dyslexia, Neuroscience and the Law, Neuropsychology, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Other Health Disabilities (OHD), and Traumatic-Brain Injuries (TBI). In 2021, Jerrod completed a post-doctoral certificate in Leadership and Organizational Strategy from Walden University and a Professional Certificate in Forensic Psychology from San Diego State University Global Campus. In 2023, Jerrod completed a diabetes care and education certificate from Central Arizona College. Currently, Jerrod is pursuing his fifth master’s degree in Applied Clinical Nutrition from Northeast College of Health Sciences. Jerrod also holds a wide range of professional certifications and has completed several comprehensive training programs. Jerrod has also conducted over 300 workshops, webinars, and on-demand trainings for various organizations and professional and student audiences. Jerrod has published several articles and book chapters, and previously co-edited the book Forensic Mental Health: A Source Guide for Professionals (Brown & Weinkauf, 2018) with Erv Weinkauf. Jerrod has also been quoted in various magazines, newspapers, and other professional outlets and has appeared in two documentaries related to the topic of FASD. Jerrod is also regularly featured on several national and international podcast programs.

MEETUP MASHUP - DEIJ & Racial Justice
2025-11-18 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
DEIJ & Racial Justice Meetups

Join us at this November 2025 Meetup Mashup at 1 p.m. (est) / 12 p.m. (cst) / 11 a.m. (mt)/ 10 a.m. (pst) . Meetup materials and Zoom link will be sent via the listserv.

See you soon!

Social Worker Supervisor Discussion Meetup
2025-11-19 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-worker-supervisor-discussion-meetup-2/
This Meetup is for Supervisors of social workers, mitigation specialists, sentencing advocates, dispositional specialists, and others in similar roles. This is a discussion for supervisors and the topic will be a continuation of last month’s meetup discussion.
Stephanne Thornton, Social Work Training and Resource Coordinator, and Kevin Bishop, Social Work Coordinator with the Alternate Defense Counsel of Colorado

2025 NAPD Women's Virtual Conference: We Are The Ones We've Been Waiting For
2025-11-20 11:30 - 2025-11-21 14:30 (America/New_York)
CEU APPROVAL: This program is Approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Approval # 886791803-8026) for 6 continuing education contact hours. Please check your state requirements for continuing education credits to ensure you are eligible per your Board. To order a CEU certificate, click HERE.
LATE REGISTRANTS: To join the WVC25 conference as a late registrant after the program has begun on 11/20 or 11/21, please click HERE.

This November, we once again gather for advocacy, encouragement, empowerment, training workshops, development, networking, and renewal.
We gather for community. We gather to support.
This powerful conference is filled with workshops, self-care events, networking, celebration and much, much more. We will acquire knowledge, obtain resources, and make connections that will elevate you to reach your professional and personal goals.
This November, we gather for sisterhood.
This event invites speakers who have been historically marginalized by age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, sexual identity, education, national origin, or any other distinguishing characteristic or trait. The goal of this event is to uplift marginalized perspectives within the public defense community.
This gathering is for all individuals, in all job titles, and practitioners who work or support public defense: attorneys, paralegals, core staff, social workers, trainers, policy advocates, and more. We also encourage and invite law students to join us. NAPD is committed to creating an event in a safe space that brings inspiration and transformation to persons of all gender identities, and for this event, we will specifically amplify female, non-binary, and/or gender non-conforming voices in public defense.
Focus areas returning this year:

Professional Growth & Leadership – sessions that help participants develop their leadership voice or facilitating professional/personal growth
Well-Being and Self-Care – sessions that prioritize wellness and self care within the public defense community
Representing Women, Families, Children – sessions that center around the circumstances, challenges, and celebrations of representing women, families and children
Intersectionality and Connecting Our Stories – sessions amplifying when our voices are marginalized in the communities we serve
Women and Racial Justice – sessions centering around the pursuit of racial justice and equality

Ticket Prices
$100 each for 1-9 attendees
$75 each bulk for 10-25
$50 each bulk for 26-100
$35 each bulk for 101+
Regular ticket sales have closed, but late registrants can register at the link in red above. CEU certificates also remain available through the link above. If you are interested in purchasing a ticket to attend the conference after the start time of the event or have any other questions, please contact events@publicdefenders.us

Here’s the 2025 Schedule

Forensic Neuroscience: A Call on Criminal Justice, Forensic Mental Health
2025-12-01 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/forensic-neuroscience-a-call-on-criminal-justice-forensic-mental-health/
Forensic Neuroscience: A Call on Criminal Justice, Forensic Mental Health, and Legal Professionals to Become Informed
At the nexus of neuroscience, criminology, psychology, and the law, forensic neuroscience is the innovative subfield focused on better understanding the role of neural mechanisms (e.g., brain structure and function) in problematic and antisocial behaviors. Specifically, professionals working in this interdisciplinary field apply knowledge and methodologies from neuroscience and related disciplines to elucidate the causes of criminality and other concerning behaviors as well as to better understand the complexities of complex human behavior, head injury, memory, deception, and much more. Work in this field has important implications for criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal decisions related to competency, culpability, sentencing, supervision, management, and prevention. Further, forensic neuroscience can help inform intake, screening and assessment, risk management, individualized care planning, treatment decisions, and rehabilitation strategies. Developed for professionals working in criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal settings, this innovative training provides attendees with: (a) a working knowledge of forensic neuroscience research and (b) a framework for applying a forensic neuroscience-informed lens and perspective to the intake, interviewing, screening, and treatment of forensic-based and justice-involved clients. This training is particularly relevant to professionals working with high-risk populations, including:

Criminal and civil defendants

Clients supervised under community supervision (i.e., probation and parole)

Clients in court-ordered treatment and civil commitment

Juvenile justice-involved populations

Clients with dark personality traits (e.g., psychopathy and callous-unemotional traits)

Clients with substance use disorders

Specific offender subtypes (e.g., sexual offending, domestic violence, firesetting, or repeated DUIs)

Treatment-resistant clients

Jerrod Brown, Ph.D., M.A., M.S., M.S., M.S., is a professor, trainer, researcher, and consultant with multiple years of experience teaching collegiate courses. Jerrod is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS). Jerrod has also provided consultation services to a number of caregivers, professionals, and organizations pertaining to topics related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), confabulation, suggestibility, trauma and other life adversities, alexithymia, executive dysfunction, criminal recidivism, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and youth fire setting. Jerrod has completed four separate master’s degree programs and holds graduate certificates in Medical Biochemistry, Exercise Prescription, Neuroscience and the Law, Neuropsychology, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Dyslexia, Other Health Disabilities (OHD), and Traumatic-Brain Injuries (TBI). In 2021, Jerrod completed a post-doctoral certificate in Leadership and Organizational Strategy from Walden University and a Professional Certificate in Forensic Psychology from San Diego State University Global Campus. In 2023, Jerrod completed a diabetes care and education certificate from Central Arizona College. Currently, Jerrod is pursuing his fifth master’s degree in Applied Clinical Nutrition from Northeast College of Health Sciences. Jerrod has also conducted over 300 workshops, webinars, and on-demand trainings for various organizations and professional and student audiences. Jerrod has published several articles and book chapters, and recently, co-edited the book Forensic Mental Health: A Source Guide for Professionals (Brown & Weinkauf, 2018) with ErvWeinkauf. Jerrod has also been quoted in various magazines, newspapers, and other professional outlets. Jerrod is also regularly featured on several national and international podcast programs.

Social Worker Meetup: Advocating when Cognitive Deficits Exist
2025-12-03 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/social-worker-supervisor-meetup-discussion/
During this social worker meetup we will discuss ways that, as mitigation specialists and social workers (not psychologists), we identify reading and learning comprehension deficits in clients and use that knowledge in mitigation development and advocacy, whether related to comprehension of Miranda, probation conditions, or other terms and conditions of court involvement. What questions do you ask during the client meeting that may shed light on leaning deficits, and what experts do you consult with to discuss comprehension of Miranda or probation terms? These and other aspects will be discussed.
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.

Investigator Supervisor Meetup - Open Chat - 2:00 ET, 1:00 CT, 12:00 MT, 11:00 PT - LAST one of the year!
2025-12-10 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/investigator-supervisor-meetup-open-chat-200-et-100-ct-1200-mt-1100-pt-last-one-of-the-year/
Hi investigators in a supervisory role,
it will be the second Wednesday of the month , so let’s chat about how things are in your offices, with your cases and clients.
See you Wednesday!
LAST ONE OF THE YEAR!

Fearless Advocacy: Representing Non-Citizens in CRIMINAL Court
2025-12-10 15:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | https://publicdefenders.us/event/fearless-advocacy-representing-non-citizens-in-criminal-court/
NOTE: NAPD membership is NOT required to attend. To create a free account to purchase a ticket please go to: https://publicdefenders.us/create-account/
The ongoing attacks on the rule of law and threat of criminal charges against defense lawyers fulfilling their ethical and constitutional duties to represent their noncitizen clients are intended to chill zealous representation. This webinar will educate attorneys about where the legal boundaries lie and how to navigate challenging situations, empowering you to continue your advocacy with confidence. Our expert panelists will explore real-world scenarios and offer practical guidance on how to protect yourself while zealously representing your noncitizen clients.
Kara Hartzler is a senior appellate attorney at the Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. Prior to joining the Federal Defenders, she served as the Legal Director and Criminal Immigration Consultant at the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project in Arizona. She has written numerous books and articles on the intersection between criminal and immigration law; served as an adjunct immigration professor; litigated hundreds of immigration and criminal appeals before the Ninth Circuit; and testified in front of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Immigration on the detention and deportation of citizens and other due process violations in the immigration system.
Stephanie Alvarez-Jones, Southeast Regional Attorney, National Immigration Project
Jennifer Friedman, Deputy Public Defender, San Francisco Public Defender, Immigration Defense Unit
Jordan Pollock is currently the Specialized Unit Chief at the Dallas County Public Defender’s Office, supervising the Appellate, Actual Innocence, Capital Punishment and Immigration units. Before taking on this role, Ms. Pollock was an Immigration Specialist and Supervisor of the
Immigration Unit of the Dallas Public Defender’s office, where she has worked since 2014. Among other duties, Ms. Pollock advises both public defenders and appointed attorneys of the immigration consequences of the criminal charges against non-citizen clients. Ms. Pollock also
serves as an adjunct professor at Texas A&M Law School, where she teaches a course in “crimmigration,” and is vice chair of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer’s immigration committee. Previously, Ms. Pollock was an Equal Justice Works Fellow at Public Counsel in Los
Angeles, where she instituted a Legal Orientation Program at two Orange County detention centers and represented detained immigrants in removal proceedings. She received her J.D. with honors from the University of Texas School of Law and her B.A. with honors from Duke
University. Before law school, Ms. Pollock was an accredited representative at the New York Legal Assistance Group, where she represented clients in affirmative immigration matters.
Moderator:
Stacy Taeuber is an attorney with the Oregon Justice Resource Center Immigration Project, where she advises Oregon public defenders regarding the immigration consequences faced by their noncitizen clients. Previously, she was an immigration resource attorney for the Washington Defender Association, where she worked with defenders and other stakeholders to address the immigration consequences faced by noncitizens accused of crimes. She has over 25 years of experience as an immigrant rights advocate; she has practiced in Florida, Arizona, New York, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and has argued cases before the Arizona and Wisconsin Supreme Courts, the Seventh Circuit, and federal district courts. She spent two years as a public defender in Arizona and was a contract defender in Wisconsin. Stacy founded the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School and served as its director for four years and was a visiting clinical professor in the University of Minnesota Law School’s Federal Immigration Litigation Clinic for two years. Stacy received her B.A. in Spanish from Earlham College and her J.D. from Georgetown University Law School. stacy@taeuberlaw.com.

Wendy Wayne
Wendy Wayne is an immigration policy consultant and founder of South End Strategies LLC. She is a nationally recognized expert on enforcement policy, legal representation programs and the interplay of immigration and criminal law. Wendy provides strategic guidance to nonprofit
immigration organizations, designs and develops programs that increase access to justice and advises criminal defense and racial justice organizations on the impacts of immigration policy. Wendy is the former Director of the Immigration Impact Unit at the Committee for Public
Counsel Services (CPCS), the Massachusetts public defender agency, where she provided comprehensive training and advice to court-appointed attorneys throughout Massachusetts and engaged in systemic litigation on issues regarding immigration enforcement. She is a frequent
speaker at state and national conferences. Prior to becoming an immigration expert, Wendy was a trial attorney at CPCS, representing individuals charged with serious felonies. Wendy is the former Chair of the American Bar Association Commission on Immigration and
currently serves as a Special Advisor. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)’s National ICE Liaison and Removal Defense Committees. She previously served on the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council Task Force on Secure
Communities, the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission and the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
