THREE POSITIONS AVAILABLE - CUMBERLAND, KENNEBEC/ANDROSCOGGIN, & PENOBSCOT COUNTIES!
Maine Pretrial Services (MPS) is adept at providing targeted, intensive, specialized case management services to individuals involved in the Maine Court system. This specialized case management position is in collaboration with the Maine Commission on Public Defense through a contract with the State of Maine.
Job Duties:
The PDS Criminal Case Manager will perform two key roles:
· Case management for PDS criminal cases for adults and youth that are referred by PDS rostered defense attorneys
· Risk Mitigation for criminal cases upon request of PDS rostered defense attorneys. The cases will be referred to either or both services.
Upon referral, the PDS Team Lead will distribute the cases to the Case Manager based on capacity, experience, and geography.
Case management will either be provided to adults or youth, determined by the age of the individual being referred. For young adults, developmental milestones will be considered, to best facilitate appropriate case management services and referrals.
In cases involving adults, the PDS Criminal Case Manager will attend regularly scheduled supervision to discuss cases, review case management practices, learn about resources, and develop case plans.
In cases involving youth or young adults, the PDS Criminal Case Manager will attend regularly scheduled clinical supervision with expert clinical consultants versed in youth and young adult services. Interventions will be specially tailored to accurately reflect the client’s developmental stage or milestones.
Special attention, training and supervision will be provided when requests are received and accepted to prepare mitigation packages for use in sentencing and case dispositions. Special attention will be paid to proper investigation techniques, document preparation, effective and compelling client narratives and letters or testimony for reference.
Required Skills:
· Quality Oriented with strong organizational skills and attention to detail
· Superior written and verbal communication skills
· Valid driver’s license
· Reliable vehicle for transportation
Education and Experience:
· Bachelor’s Degree
Physical Requirements:
· This position is situated in an office environment
· Regularly required to sit, walk, bend, and stand.
· Sitting 75%, Standing 10%, Walking 10%, Bending 5%
· Travel within the state of Maine up to 60%
· Expected to effectively communicate in person, on phone, and via email and other electronic devices on a continual and repetitive basis.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
· Not applicable for this role.
General Duties and Responsibilities:
· Prior to commencing work, MPS will obtain and maintain releases of information as required.
· Provide each client with a written explanation of scope of services, confidentiality and its limits, and information sharing practices.
· Case manager will conduct an in-person meeting, during which the case manager will review informed consent, and the scope of services counsel has requested (case management and/or mitigation services).
· If the client is agreeable, the case manager will conduct a bio-psycho-social intake, designed to identify strengths and needs.
· The case manager, using validated screening tools, will further objectively identify risk and need.
· Using motivational interviewing techniques, the case manager and client will collaboratively develop and (hopefully) agree upon a service plan to connect the client to identified services and resources to address unmet needs or position the client for a favorable outcome at court.
· Needs will always be prioritized, with the basic social determinants of health (physical safety, safe housing, food and clothing) taking precedence.
· MPS will also ensure the individual receives any government entitlements for which they are eligible, assisting in navigation and enrollment.
· Specialized services, designed to further address need and mitigate risk, including but not limited to substance use, mental health, medical, and medication assisted treatment will be offered, as indicated.
· Any case plan developed will be shared with counsel.
· Case planning (and mitigation services) can feature distal goals such as permanent housing, education, and employment.
· MPS case managers are trained to assist and facilitate connections to these resources.
· Intermittent monitoring and evaluation of the case plan will help ensure that the client is well connected, engaged, and deriving benefit from the services offered.
· MPS case managers will approach this work through a trauma informed lens, understanding that past trauma, coupled with the stress of a current legal entanglement, can produce feelings of anxiety, sadness, hopelessness, anger, and fear.
· If the attorney engages MPS for risk mitigation services to aid in defense or achieving a more favorable outcome, MPS will collaborate to outline strategies to help reduce the severity of charges, minimize potential penalties, and humanize the client in the eyes of prosecutors, judges, and/or juries.
· Once the attorney decides the best route and scope of mitigation services requested, MPS staff can perform a variety of tasks, including proactively obtaining information regarding the client's life history.
· With informed consent, and counsel approval, MPS will conduct research, interviews, correspondence, records requests, internet searches, and more.
· Inquiries have a sole purpose: to assist the defense team in establishing a unified theory of the case, highlighting any positives, and addressing negatives through the mitigation lens.
· Assisting with the narrative, MPS will help "paint the picture", humanizing the client, so they are more than a charge or allegation. MPS will chronicle the trajectory of the individual's life to present this "whole person" view of the individual, and in so doing, can identify key turning points where things went awry, leading to the instant offense(s).
· These pivot points illuminate signposts, directing a course of remediation through corresponding interventions. For example, if a client consistently justifies undesirable behavior ("I stole because I deserve nice things"), MPS can recommend the correct type and dosage of cognitive behavioral restructuring.
· If the client agrees, MPS will make the connection to the service, independently verify attendance and/or completion, and cite the research regarding the intervention efficacy in the mitigation report.
· Any efforts towards pro-social habilitation or rehabilitation are noted, again, with independent verification, including but not limited to professional reports and records of program adherence or completion.
· MPS staff are also adept at identifying alternatives to incarceration, with many connections to community-based programs that welcome people with "lived" experience of criminal records, periods of incarceration, or pending criminal charges for both volunteer community services and paid work.
· Finally, MPS can assist in the professional production of mitigation packets by summarizing findings, collecting testimony and support letters, verifying service engagement, obtaining school or employment records, and creating formal reports, videos and other exhibits.
· MPS will connect with the National Alliance of Sentencing Advocates and Mitigation Specialists (NASAM) to review and commit to standards for professional practice.
Pay: $50,600.00 per year
Benefits:
- 403(b)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Ability to Commute:
- Augusta, ME 04330 (Preferred)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: In person
