INVESTIGATION

MITIGATION

Holistic Defense

ABOUT ME

I practice holistic defense investigation and mitigation. Working predominantly in the world’s incarceration capital of Louisiana, my work requires creative, community-based responses to the trauma my clients have survived. For nearly 20 years, my work has been about researching, relating, and heart-centered truth-telling.

I have worked with

*Federal Public Defender Eastern District of Louisiana

*Seattle Law School

*Orleans Public Defenders

*Louisiana Center for Children's Rights

*Capital Defense Project of SE Louisiana

*CJA SDNY

*CJA EDNY

*Federal Public Defender Eastern District of Louisiana *Seattle Law School *Orleans Public Defenders *Louisiana Center for Children's Rights *Capital Defense Project of SE Louisiana *CJA SDNY *CJA EDNY

*Orleans Public Defenders

*Federal Public Defender Eastern District Louisiana

*Louisiana Center for Children's Rights

*Orleans Public Defenders *Federal Public Defender Eastern District Louisiana *Louisiana Center for Children's Rights

*CJA Eastern District NY

*CJA Western District NY

*Legal Aid Manhattan

*CJA Eastern District NY *CJA Western District NY *Legal Aid Manhattan

MY PROCESS

I believe in holistic defense as a strategy to address the harms that have been done to my clients and the harms they have caused.

When the light of investigation gets shined on suffering and the causes of suffering, we have the ability to transform our experience.

When we are able to investigate together in the safe container of a therapeutic relationship, transformation is possible.

My services

  • Investigation

    Witness locates, interviews, discovery review, locating evidence, and testifying.

  • Mitigation

    Creating relationships and investigating records that create the possibility for transformation.

  • Mitigation Film

    Storytelling and creating sentencing advocacy through the tool of film. Deeper truths are felt when they are seen.

  • Training and consulting

    I teach mitigation film with Reel Defense: Mitigation Film Collective and have trained folks in mitigation and investigation locally and nationally.

I wrote a book!

How can one individual make systemic change? How do we create the conditions for individual and social transformation? What is possible when we build spaces of belonging for folks who face incarceration?

If you’ve ever wondered how you can contribute to undoing harms of systemic and individual racism and mass incarceration, Holistic Defense: A Practice welcomes you to the table and offers you a guidepost.

We’ll explore practical and theoretical approaches to mitigation investigation through: storytelling, listening, therapeutic frameworks, presence, investigation of self, other, place, creativity, and play. 

When we work to create a society where no one is abandoned, especially when harm has been done, we create the possibility for us all to achieve dignity and purpose.

Holistic Defense: A Practice includes contributions from TD, Elijah Burt, Jarrell Daniels, and Travis ComesLast.

Holistic Defense: A Practice is a practical and theoretical training manual for those who wish to expand their systems of criminal defense. From the back cover:

  • My method of distribution is under construction! Send me an email if you’d like a copy and I’ll happily snail mail you one.