Legal Advocacy and MitigationOur definition:
Mitigation reports: In depth social study that focuses on the clients' needs for the least restrictive setting for rehabilitation, exploring the family, community and school involvement to decrease recidivism. We also advocate for the most restorative and relevant consequence for misconduct in the community. This could include community, family, therapeutical, restorative justice and best practices approaches, as well as D.I.V.O.(Defense Initiated Victim Outreach), and creation of transition plans for reentry and/or Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA). Transfer Hearing: Critical examination and evaluation of the five criterion that determine whether a youth should be maintained in Juvenile Court or remanded to Adult Court for sanctions therein. Expert Witness: Ability to testify about the current conditions at the Division of Juvenile Justice, county, state, and national sanctioned placements, the most beneficial settings in a variety of criminal related hearings in support of least restrictive settings and best practices, from a trauma-informed and insider perspective. QualificationsA former Probation Officer, Court Officer and public school teacher, Debra was a Juvenile Probation Officer in Alameda County California for ten years (2001-2011). She has over 5,000 hours as an Investigator, has completed over 500 Social Studies and over a dozen Fitness Evaluations. As a consultant, Debra investigates, researches, prepares alternative sentencing reports, fitness evaluation and gives expert witness testimony in court regarding the conditions of the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and rehabilitative options within the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court. She has visited, monitored and toured the DJJ (OH Close, Ventura), alternate settings including Rites of Passage, Nevada, as well as local and state wide placements for foster, delinquent and mental health clients. Debra served as a policy intern with the National Council on Crime and Delinquency Restorative Justice Project and organized families of incarcerated youth for the Ella Baker for Human Rights Books Not Bars, conducting a statewide survey on families' experience with the justice system resulting in national policy recommendations. Debra is a current member of the OUSD Inter-agency Gang Prevention Collaborative, the National Lawyers Guild, and the 2012-2013 Alameda County Leadership Academy. A recent graduate of the Violence Prevention Strategies Program (2011) at Peralta College, Debra is well established and stays intimately connected and up to date with the most current trends and best practices regarding research, policy, and the issues that affect our most vulnerable populations.
|
AdvocacyOur advocacy work is focused on building the capacity of individuals to eventually eliminate the need for services. We do this through assistance in navigating the system and creating strategic action plans to assist one in being the most informed, educated and equipped individual: the ability to advocate on behalf of oneself or your loved one.
Interested parties and potential clients are welcome to receive a no-cost phone consultation. After the initial consultation, an hourly rate is determined based on services requested and financial need. Training FocusOur training services can be offered as workshops, partial and day long trainings, customized to your audience and agency needs :
1) Navigating the System 2) Best Practices for Community Based Services for Youth 3) Advocacy 101 Training List Available Upon Request* Grant WritingFundraising for the work is just as important as utilizing the other strategies we use to build power in our communities. Grant writing allows Lewis-Mendoza to support community change through a supporting role rather than leading.
|