Mitigation Investigation Specialist

About the role

The Office of the Ohio Public Defender (OPD) seeks three Mitigation Investigation Specialists to join the Mitigation and Investigation Department, Appellate Services Division. The department's mission is to provide thorough investigations to ensure quality representation for indigent clients.

Responsibilities

• Conduct and/or lead mitigation investigation through bio-psycho-social field investigation in trial, post-conviction, federal habeas, and clemency phases of capital cases.
• Conduct mitigation investigation for non-capital cases, including cases involving juveniles tried as adults and receiving lifelong prison sentences.
• Conduct fact investigations on trial and post-trial litigation, and complex and specialized criminal investigations on felony, capital, and juvenile cases at various levels.
• Travel throughout Ohio and occasionally outside the state to locate, interview, and investigate witnesses, evidence, and materials.
• Prepare complex reports of interviews and findings, and prepare detailed timelines for use in trial and appellate case preparations and presentations.
• Identify and locate suspects, claimants, former employers and coworkers, attorneys, witnesses, federal, state, and municipal agencies.
• Assist with transporting witnesses.
• Consult with internal and external attorneys and experts to develop trial and appellate sentencing-phase themes and theories of the case.
• Aid in the preparation and presentations for trials and hearings, and conduct interviews with clients for death row client clemency hearings.
• Lead brainstorming and strategizing discussions to develop mitigation presentation of defense.
• Mentor and train volunteer students.

Requirements

• At least 30 months of experience conducting mitigation or criminal fact investigations.
• Completion of an undergraduate core program in behavioral sciences (e.g., social work, sociology, criminal justice, psychology) or 6 months of experience in criminal investigations.
• Equivalent of the Minimum Class Qualification for Employment noted above.

Skills

• Investigation
• Analyze
• Attention to Detail
• Collaborate
• Establish Relationships
• Write
• Organize

Pay

The starting pay for this position is at Step 1 of the State of Ohio’s OCSEA Schedule, Pay Range 32, which ranges from $65,458 to $95,846 annually. Candidates with exceptional qualifications may be considered for higher starting pay.

Schedule

This position is full-time and classified.

Benefits

The Office of the Ohio Public Defender complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. For reasonable accommodation requests, contact us at 614-466-5394 or HCM@opd.ohio.gov.

Contact

To learn more about the Office of the Ohio Public Defender, visit our website or contact Josh Barton at joshua.barton@opd.ohio.gov.