SWIFT

The SWIFT Defense project social worker will be trained in trauma-informed legal practice, gender-responsive assessments, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and other assessments necessary to ensure female defendants' treatment needs are met. The goal is to help women engage in treatment while meeting court requirements, reducing recidivism, and promoting care for clients. Work performed by the social worker is just one focus of the SWIFT Defense of Women project. The SWIFT Defense worker will be trained in trauma-informed legal practice to learn how to identify trauma in defendants; how to respond to that trauma; how to avoid triggering that trauma through their interactions with the defendant; and how to avoid vicarious trauma, which is a work condition that mimics Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The grant is the first project-specific monetary grant award received by the Public Defender Services agency and was the result of concern for rising incarceration rates of West Virginia women, a lack of gender-specific assessments for women, and prevalent circumstances impacting female defendants, including trauma. The purpose of the project is to compile data that shows the impact that early intervention plays in lowering incarceration rates and reducing recidivism, as well as demonstrate the need for sustainable funding to expand this program in the future.

Pay:

$24.00 - $25.00 per hour

Benefits:

401(k) Parental leave Retirement plan

Work Location:

In person