Social Workers in Public Defense Civil Commitment Practice Webinar

NASW-WA Live Webinar

About the webinar

Social workers are a vital part of legal defense teams. Their education and expertise lend itself well to the type of work that public defenders do. The client-centered approach to the practice of working with marginalized populations caught up in the carceral system is particularly important for those facing civil commitment, where commitment can be longer than a criminal sentence, or even indefinite. This training aims to provide a broad look at social workers in civil defense practice, what social workers can do to contribute as part of a multidisciplinary legal team, and the meaningful outcomes they produce.

Goals & Objectives

• Exploring the duality of client backgrounds and the ability to provide competent representation
• Creatively thinking outside the box about release planning
• Reflecting on the role of the defense within the justice system as a whole

About the presenter:

Julia Newbold, MSW, LSWAIC (she/her) is a Social Services Manager with the Washington State Office of Public Defense (OPD) in the Forensic Civil Commitment program. She currently manages contracted defense social workers state-wide who are embedded within public defense legal teams for individuals who have been (or who are facing) civilly committed under 71.09 RCW or those who have been found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI). Prior to coming to OPD, she worked as a defense social worker in Snohomish County for 71.09 RCW clients, as well as two NGRI cases.

CE Contact Hours: 1.5