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New Jackson County public defender highlights community trainings, social-worker mitigation successes
Summary
Kevin Rogers, newly appointed chief public defender for Jackson County, told the committee about outreach trainings, mentorship opportunities and a social worker who helped clients retain housing and benefits during criminal cases.
Kevin Rogers, the recently appointed chief public defender for Jackson County, presented the office's quarterly report and described outreach and mitigation work intended to reduce collateral harms from criminal cases.
Why it matters: Public defenders’ mitigation work — including social work and community partnerships — can influence sentencing outcomes and help clients maintain housing and benefits during prosecutions.
Rogers said two local attorneys, Michael Dungan and Al Brandt, provided multi-hour trainings for less-experienced office lawyers on traffic-stop encounters that can evolve into searches, seizures or OWI/DUIs. "It gave us a chance to learn from people who have a combined 50 plus years of experience," he said.
Rogers described the office’s social worker, Lindsey Battle, and several case examples Battle helped resolve: a 60-year-old client who had lost a Section 8 voucher during a court case and whose housing status was restored after referrals; a veteran who regained housing stability after referral to veteran services; and a domestic-violence case in which Battle coordinated care for a parent with two children. Rogers said those services support mitigation packages the office provides to judges.
The committee received the report; Rogers offered to follow up on details about the Section 8 case when asked by committee members.
