Forensic Social Worker, Parole Revocation Defense Unit

The Legal Aid Society; New York (NY); On-site; USD 84,000 - 126,000; Full time

Job summary

The Legal Aid Society, the largest public-interest law firm in New York City, seeks a dedicated court-based Forensic Social Worker for the Parole Revocation Defense Unit in the Bronx. You will interview clients and collateral contacts to document life history, advocate for alternatives to detention, and assist in securing treatment and services.

Work closely with Criminal Defense attorneys to prepare compelling case reports and recommendations.

Qualifications

• MSW required; NYS LMSW or LCSW preferred, or ability to obtain LMSW within 6 months.
• Strong diagnostic skills focusing on mental health, intellectual/developmental delays, and substance use histories.
• Ability to interface with Judges, District Attorneys and Correctional Personnel in court/detention settings.
• Ability to negotiate with community-based treatment centers.
• Excellent written and oral communication and persuasive writing.
• Excellent organizational and computer skills; works well in a team.
• Ability to write compelling, well-structured reports and recommendations.
• Ability to conduct crisis intervention and short-term counseling when needed.
• Collaborates with defense attorneys to advocate for treatment and alternatives to detention.

Responsibilities

• Interview clients in court to gather bio-psycho-social information.
• Interview collateral sources such as family, teachers, and community members.
• Review and analyze life history records to document arguments for reports.
• Develop casework plans with attorneys and propose alternative sentencing options.
• Assess readiness for treatment and make referrals to services.
• Conduct in-person visits to clients in the community, jails, or hospitals.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Written & verbal communication

Organizational skills

Diagnostic skills

Persuasive writing

Team collaboration

Courtroom/interpersonal skills

Computer skills

Interviews and assessments

Crisis intervention

Education

MSW degree with NYS LMSW/LCSW license or ability to obtain LMSW within 6 months

Job description

MAJOR PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The Legal Aid Society, the largest social justice public interest law firm in New York City, has an immediate opening for a dedicated and passionate court-based Forensic Social Worker in the Parole Revocation Defense Unit (PRDU) in the Bronx office to provide client services. While working closely with the Criminal Defense attorneys, the Forensic Social Worker’s (FSW) primary role is to interview clients, and any collateral contacts, with the goal of gathering a life history to highlight mitigating circumstances such as mental illness, drug addiction, trauma and/or chronic poverty leading to a client’s involvement in the criminal justice system.

The FSW will then advocate for an alternative to detention, an alternative to incarceration, or lesser sentence, based on mitigating factors. The FSW will evaluate clients and recommend a treatment program. The FSW will fill out necessary paperwork and provide supporting documents to facilitate a client’s interview with a program and/or to assure a client’s acceptance into a program. The FSW educates the client about treatment options, offers crisis intervention, and short-term counseling. The FSW provides essential information to attorneys about clients.

The Parole Revocation Defense Unit, through a dedicated team of lawyers, paralegals, investigators, and social workers, represents over 6000 parolees per year with the stated goal of both shortening their length of incarcerations on Rikers Island, and upon release, assisting parole clients in the community to avoid violations and re-incarceration. The office location is subject to change depending on need.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

• Interview the client in court, performing a thorough bio-psycho-social During this process, crisis intervention, brief treatment, or short-term counseling may also be performed
• Identify and interview collateral sources of information. Collateral interviews are done with family members, friends, teachers, social workers, community members, and others connected to the client
• Request, review, and analyze life history records (i.e., school, medical, psychiatric) to document specific arguments within written reports
• Develop casework plans in conjunction with the attorneys, develop alternative sentencing plans, and provide advocacy in court
• Assess a client’s readiness for treatment and make referrals to substance abuse treatment, domestic violence, mental health counseling, shelters,
• Conduct in-person visits to clients in the community and at jails, detention centers or hospitals.
• Other duties assigned

Qualifications

Required qualifications

• MSW degree and New York State (NYS) license in social work (LMSW or LCSW) preferred OR the ability to obtain LMSW licensure within 6 months of hire
• Strong diagnostic skills with a background emphasis in working with clients with the following special needs: MICA, physical illnesses and disabilities, mental illness, intellectual disabilities and developmental delays, and histories of substance abuse
• Ability to interface with Judges, District Attorneys and Correctional Personnel in court and detention centers
• Ability to negotiate with community-based treatment centers
• Ability to write persuasively
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent organizational skills
• Strong computer skills
• Ability to work within a team model

Salary And Benefits

The salary range represents a good faith estimate of the range we expect to pay for this role. The actual salary offered may vary depending on many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, as well as collectively bargained salary steps for unionized roles.

Salary Range: $83,631 - $125,627

The Legal Aid Society offers a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability, and life insurance, and more.

Click here to read more about benefits.

Higher Education and Loan Forgiveness

The Legal Aid Society is a qualified employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This position allows an employee to take advantage of PSLF and other State and Federal loan forgiveness programs. Additionally, employees who are New York residents may be eligible for assistance from New York state to assist with loan repayments, depending on years of practice. To learn more, click the links below.

studentaid.gov

hesc.ny.gov/loan-forgiveness-programs

WORK AUTHORIZATION

All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship for a work visa or permit. We are currently unable to sponsor employment visas or permits. (However, for citizens of Canada and Mexico, LAS will provide a letter documenting employment status that is needed to obtain a TN visa.)

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth); gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients (people), to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us and our ability to build strong relationships with our colleagues. Every member of our community is expected to continuously learn about the dynamic, evolving, and emerging field of knowledge of identity, bias, and systemic forms of oppression and participate in productive efforts to dismantling bias in all forms.