2019 NASAMS Conference: Full Schedule

2019 National Alliance of Sentencing Advocates & Mitigation Specialists (NASAMS) Conference
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2:30pm PDT

Registration

The registration desk is located outside of the Chesapeake Ballroom. Please visit us with questions at any point during the conference.

Monday June 3, 2019 2:30pm - 5:00pm PDT
Chesapeake Gallery 3rd Floor

Registration

4:30pm PDT

Opening Plenary -- Deep Forgiveness: Hope, Healing, and Transformation

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In 1988, Darryl Green’s younger brother was stabbed to death over a pair of tennis shoes. Twenty-five years later, Darryl testified to get his brother’s murderer’s life sentence reduced, and now the two work together in hopes of making a difference. “Three weeks after I testified, he was on the steps of Our Daily Bread with his mother and aunt,” Green said. “We prayed and cried on those steps and there has been a relationship ever since. My friends can’t believe I forgave him. It has taken more than 20 years for me to be free. I came to realize this kid was 15 years old and couldn’t even clean his own room, but he made a huge decision that would affect the rest of his life. I talk to him all the time, and he told me it took three seconds of rage that changed the course of his life.” Darryl Green will share his journey with forgiveness. He teaches us that forgiveness is not really about the other person, it is about you. “This whole forgiveness piece has been a heck of a journey.” This inspirational message will help participants gain a new perspective on forgiveness and also how to reach families, communities, judges, and juries to help them understand the importance of forgiveness.

Speakers

Deep Forgiveness

President and Principal Consultant, Deep Forgiveness

Darryl C. Green is an American author, coach and motivational speaker who has transformed the lives of many both domestically and internationally with his message of healing, reconciliation and deep forgiveness. Green is President and Principal Consultant of Deep Forgiveness, a... Read More →

Monday June 3, 2019 4:30pm - 5:30pm PDT
Chesapeake I-II 3rd Floor

Plenary Session

5:30pm PDT

NASAMS Networking & Awards Reception

Mix and mingle with your colleagues. Catch up with old friends, and make new ones. And join us in honoring this year's award winners.

Monday June 3, 2019 5:30pm - 7:00pm PDT
Chesapeake Gallery 3rd Floor

Networking

7:30am PDT

Breakfast

Get a good start to your day!

Tuesday June 4, 2019 7:30am - 8:45am PDT
Chesapeake Gallery 3rd Floor

Networking

7:30am PDT

Registration

The registration desk is located outside of the Chesapeake Ballroom. Please visit us with questions at any point during the conference.

Tuesday June 4, 2019 7:30am - 5:00pm PDT
Chesapeake Gallery 3rd Floor

Registration

8:30am PDT

By Any Other Name, It’s Still Solitary Confinement

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This presentation will inform and educate social workers and attorneys about the negative impacts of solitary confinement, including the emotional, physical, and mental deterioration of clients who are subjected to extended periods of this harsh and punitive protocol. The session will cover the historical development of solitary confinement in the United States. It will also educate the audience about the current implementation of solitary confinement and the abundant misleading terminology that cloaks this draconian practice. Attendees will have an opportunity to participate in a virtual reality experience of solitary confinement and review a 6’x9’ floor plan of a prison cell.

Speakers

Terri Collins-Green

Social Work Manager, Maryland Office of the Public Defender

Terri earned a Master’s degree in social work from the University of Maryland in Baltimore and a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Towson University. She is currently the acting chief of the Social Work Division at the Office of the Public Defender and regional social work... Read More →

Tuesday June 4, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am PDT
Harborview I 2nd Floor

Workshop

8:30am PDT

Hope in Second Chances: Juvenile Lifers and Breaking Ground with the IRAA

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The Washington, D.C., City Council passed the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA), which allows for reconsideration of sentences for those who have served at least 20 years in prison, were juveniles at the time of their offenses, and who have not yet gone up for parole. Revisions to the original Act are expected to become effective in June, which will increase the number of folks eligible for relief. This session will provide an overview of the Act, a discussion on the challenges to developing mitigation on cases that are decades old (comparing and contrasting with typical mitigation work), and a narrative/discussion with a client who was one of the first juvenile lifers to be released in Washington, D.C. This panel includes an attorney-mitigation specialist defense team, along with a beneficiary (former client) of the Act.

Speakers

David Bailey

David Bailey was born and raised in Washington. D.C. His mother and father were heavily addicted to heroin. He was born addicted to heroin because his mother was using it during her pregnancy with him. Bailey had a harsh upbringing in the late 1980s and early 1990s in Washington... Read More →

James Zeigler

Attorney, Law Office of James Zeigler

James Zeigler is an attorney practicing indigent defense in Washington, D.C. James is a 2014 graduate of Georgetown Law, a former clerk to the Senior Judges of D.C. Superior Court, and has been in private practice as member of the D.C. Criminal Justice Act panel since 2016. He has... Read More →

Shannon Keyes-Woodward

Owner, SKW Consulting LLC

Shannon Keyes Woodward, MSW, LCSW, received her BA from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and her MSW from the University of Maryland. Her areas of specialization are capital mitigation development, interviewing, mental health defense strategy, and community networking/outreach... Read More →

Tuesday June 4, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am PDT
Harborview II 2nd Floor

Workshop

8:30am PDT

Trauma Informed Defense Teams and Restorative Practices

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In this session, we will discuss developing client and family relationships that facilitate the gathering of crucial, yet often painful information. We will review techniques for collecting clients’ stories in a way that promotes healing rather than re/traumatization. We will also explore how to work together as a team of zealous advocates using restorative principles to include approaching alleged victims, collateral witnesses, and the community at large.

Speakers

Megan Leschak

Social Work Supervisor, New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender

Megan Leschak currently serves as the social work supervisor for the New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender. Before joining the office, she worked as a mitigation investigator in the Capital Habeas Unit of the Delaware Federal Public Defender. As a member of this capital defense... Read More →

Tuesday June 4, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am PDT
Severn 2nd Floor

Workshop

8:30am PDT

Writing As If Their Lives Depended on It

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This session will cover advanced topics in report writing, including:
(1) How to marshal the client’s school, juvenile, and social service records to rule out a conduct disorder diagnosis (which is a condition precedent for a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder).
(2) How to write a compelling list of mitigating circumstances that can form the basis for counsel’s penalty phase closing and the mitigation jury instruction.
(3) How to use word processing software to create simple and cheap, yet powerful, exhibits (e.g., Word’s Document Review; Google maps).
(4) What your lawyer needs to tell you regarding reciprocal discovery obligations and the limitations on work product privilege before you write up your reports.
(5) Whether some information should be provided to counsel orally rather than in writing.
(6) Hemingway vs. Faulkner: the power of a simple jugular sentence.
(7) Neruda: finding fresh ways to talk about abuse/neglect/injustice.
(8) Deena Logan: evidence of mental health symptoms from speech.
(9) The group’s wisdom: what lessons have you learned that we all should know?

Participants will leave with a better understanding of these topics and several examples of each.

Speakers

Jodie English

Mitigation Specialist and Capital Trial Attorney

Jodie represented her first capital client 40 years ago. For the past 10 years, she has been in private practice in Indianapolis handling death penalty cases – at times as a trial defender, a mentor, or expert witness in post-conviction proceedings, or as a capital mitigation specialist... Read More →

Tuesday June 4, 2019 8:30am - 10:00am PDT
Chesapeake III 3rd Floor

Workshop

10:00am PDT

Break

Tuesday June 4, 2019 10:00am - 10:30am PDT
Chesapeake Gallery 3rd Floor

Networking

10:30am PDT

An Exploration of Ethical Dilemmas on Holistic Defense Teams

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There has been an increasing utility in the addition of social workers on non-capital cases. This broadened practice as sentencing advocates and mitigation specialists places social workers and attorneys in close working relationships that can generate ethical dilemmas. When these dilemmas crop up, it may seem that the professions are operating at cross purposes when, in fact, it is a lack of knowledge of professional ethical obligations of conduct. This workshop will examine the professional codes of conduct and code of ethics of the varying professions involved in the litigation process. We will provide a robust discussion of multiple ethical scenarios and apply the specific professions’ codes of conduct/ethics in each scenario to help teams learn to bridge the gap of understanding when faced with these dilemmas.

Speakers

Terri Collins-Green

Social Work Manager, Maryland Office of the Public Defender

Tuesday June 4, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT
Harborview II 2nd Floor

Workshop

10:30am PDT

Barriers in Mitigating Mental Health in African American Families

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African Americans are a large population that does not seek mental health treatment due to various social and cultural reasons. Many of the clients (and their families) with whom we work have long histories of untreated mental health concerns. This presentation will highlight cultural views that have prevented many African Americans from seeking mental health treatment and beliefs that have led them to cope with emotional and mental health challenges in institutions grounded in the community, such as the church and barbershop.

Speakers

Teresa Cooper

Capital Mitigation Specialist, Office of the Capital Defender

Teresa Cooper, MSW, CSAC, is a capital mitigation specialist with the Office of the Capital Defender in Norfolk, Virginia. She earned a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Virginia and an M.S.W. from Norfolk State University. Teresa has more than 13 years of experience working... Read More →

Tuesday June 4, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT
Harborview I 2nd Floor

Workshop

10:30am PDT

Preserving Your Expert Like an Expert

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How do you become an expert at using expert witnesses? In this presentation, join a mitigation specialist and an expert witness to learn about common mistakes while working with and creative uses of experts in getting information to the judge or jury. In an interactive session, the presenters will discuss what type of expert you may need to select to work on your case. Do you know the importance of defining your referral question? Using different videotaped scenarios, you will learn what you may accidentally do that could make your expert unusable in court. Participants will consider the impact of releasing certain materials to their experts at various stages of trial. Using true trial examples, you will learn techniques to make sure your experts don’t go “rogue,” learn how to “control your witness,” and realize when you are walking the line between keeping and burning your witnesses.

Speakers

Julie Harper

Licensed Psychologist, Northwest Florida Psychological Services, P.A.

Dr. Julie Harper is a licensed psychologist who specializes in clinical and forensic psychology. At Northwest Florida Psychological Services, P.A., Dr. Harper engages in forensic psychology practice performing evaluations and traveling across the state of Florida to provide expert... Read More →

Donna Murray

Mitigation Specialist, Murray Investigations and Mitigation Specialists, LLC

Donna Murray has more than 19 years of experience as an investigator and has conducted hundreds of criminal defense investigations. Donna has worked on more than 50 Florida capital and resentencing cases. She has also worked on cases in Kentucky and Mississippi. The death penalty... Read More →

Tuesday June 4, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT
Severn 2nd Floor

Workshop

10:30am PDT

Telling the Story from the Witness Stand: Expert Testimony

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It’s been said that if you "fail to plan, you plan to fail." This definitely holds true when it comes to preparing expert witnesses to testify. In order for an expert witness' testimony to be heard, believed, and persuasive to the fact finder, it is imperative that the witness as well as the attorney be prepared. During this workshop, mitigation experts, mental health professionals, and other participants will learn how to avoid common pitfalls and costly mistakes when preparing for your testimony. Attorneys will learn the importance of preparing mitigation and sentencing phase witnesses for expert testimony. Participants will be given workable tools for effective attorney and witness preparation and how to effectively convey testimony through a story that will further their client's theory of the case.

Speakers

Heather Pinckney

Partner, Harden & Pinckney LLC

Heather Pinckney is currently a partner at Harden & Pinckney, PLLC, a boutique law firm located in downtown Washington, D.C. Harden & Pinckney, PLLC, specializes in criminal defense litigation, contract, divorce, and family law. Before entering into private practice, Ms. Pinckney... Read More →

Lori James-Townes

Assoc. Clinical Professors, Towson University

Professor James-Townes’s passion is adding value to others. She has focused her attention on personal and professional development. Nothing brings her more joy than working with students and professionals as they take their journey and focus on achieving their full potential. She... Read More →

Tuesday June 4, 2019 10:30am - 12:00pm PDT
Chesapeake III 3rd Floor

Workshop

12:00pm PDT

Lunch on your own

See your registration materials for a list or nearby lunch options.

Tuesday June 4, 2019 12:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
See Restaurant List

Networking

2:15pm PDT

Developing & Preparing Mitigation for Your Client Charged with a Sex Offense

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This session is designed to assist practitioners in the development and presentation of mitigation in cases involving a juvenile or adult client charged with committing a sex offense. Participants will learn statistical data on sex offenders, the importance of offering mitigation, the different tools utilized to assess an individual charged with a sex crime, and the varying ways in which findings and recommendations can be presented to the court. Attendees will also develop a better understanding of the multiple risk levels and tiers and the collateral consequences that will affect their clients following a conviction of a sex offense.

Speakers

Tonyah Roberts-Johnson

Clinical/Forensic Social Worker, Let's Talk About It Consulting Services LLC

Ms. Roberts-Johnson, LCSW-C, is a forensic social worker and certified sex offender treatment specialist. She is the founder/CEO of Let's Talk About It Consulting Services, LLC. She has provided social work support and mitigation in capital/non-capital case matters since 2002. In... Read More →

Tuesday June 4, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm PDT
Harborview I 2nd Floor

Workshop

2:15pm PDT

Federal Death Authorization

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This workshop will provide a brief overview of the federal death penalty authorization process, which is significantly different than state death penalty charging and decision-making. We will focus on timeliness and strategy, past and present trends, the mitigation submission, the mitigation presentation, lessons learned, and other matters.

Speakers

Sam Dworkin

Mitigation Specialist/Investigator, Dworkin Investigations

Samuel Wiita Dworkin is a mitigation specialist and investigator with more than 15 years experience in capital and criminal defense, working on sentencing and merits investigations as well as juvenile re-sentencing cases, at the state and federal levels in all stages (pre-trial, habeas... Read More →

Jenifer Wicks

Attorney, Blind Justice Legal Services

Jenifer Wicks is the executive director of Blind Justice DC. She graduated from Brown University in 1991, where she received a Starr Fellowship for Community Service, and the Georgetown University Law Center in 1998 as a Public Interest Law Scholar. She worked at the Public Defender... Read More →

Tuesday June 4, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm PDT
Harborview II 2nd Floor

Workshop

2:15pm PDT

Motivational Interviewing

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This workshop will provide an overview of the principles and spirit of motivational interviewing and provide tools and techniques for incorporating it into practice. Stages of changes, change readiness, and indications for the use of motivational interviewing will be presented.

Speakers

Catherine Breneman

Clinical Assistant Professor & Internship Coordinator, Towson University

Catherine Breneman joined the Towson University Department of Family Studies and Community Development in 2011. Dr. Breneman received a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.S.W. from West Virginia University. Before her appointment at Towson University... Read More →

Tuesday June 4, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm PDT
Severn 2nd Floor

Workshop

2:15pm PDT

Put Your Oxygen Mask on First: The Key to Leading in the Midst of Tragedy

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If you cannot breathe, you will not be able to holistically defend your clients. This interactive session will create a new level of awareness by educating you on all of the different life experiences that result in loss, which in turn produces grief. Grief is the normal and natural response to significant emotional loss of any kind. It is the change in anything familiar. We are all grieving something. But the real question is, do we take time to process it or repress it? Grief is cumulative and ultimately cumulatively negative. It is a heart problem that you cannot fix with your head. Establishing a foundation for dealing effectively with loss is one of the greatest gifts that you can give to yourself and your clients. Time by itself will not heal your wounds. Choose to no longer be ill prepared to help yourself or others deal with loss through grief recovery.

Speakers

Heather D. Horton

CEO/Founder, The H-Squared Group, LLC

Heather D. Horton is the CEO and founder of The H-Squared Group, LLC, a grief recovery coaching practice. She is an Advanced Grief Recovery Method Specialist™, a Certified From Grief to Gratitude™ Coach, and Certified Professional Diversity Coach. She helps high-achieving professional... Read More →

Tuesday June 4, 2019 2:15pm - 3:45pm PDT
Chesapeake III 3rd Floor

Workshop

3:45pm PDT

Break

Tuesday June 4, 2019 3:45pm - 4:00pm PDT
Chesapeake Gallery 3rd Floor

Networking

4:00pm PDT

Closing Plenary Walking Testimonies: We Are Home Now and What A Journey We've Had

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Returning citizens have become integral members in criminal justice reform efforts. It is important that we make sure they always have a seat at the table. The testimony of their journeys helps shape the way we create programs and provide support. Many returning citizens are working with agencies, including public defender offices that are serving and representing clients and communities that are directly affected. In addition, they are active in their communities and strong voices of advocacy for much needed local, national, and systemic change.

Moderators

Zanele Ngubeni

Director, Diversity & Inclusion, Maryland Office of the Public Defender

Zanele Ngubeni is the director of diversity and inclusion for the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. She has the honor of being the first to hold this newly created position for MOPD. Before joining MOPD in 2018, she served as a senior staff attorney in Georgia’s largest judicial... Read More →

Speakers

Charles Brown

Charles Brown is the youngest of five children born to Edward and Beulah Brown. Charles was born and raised in Philadelphia until the tender age of 16, when he was arrested. He was later convicted of 2nd degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole (death... Read More →

Eddie Ellis

ICAN Coordinator, Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth

Eddie, a native Washingtonian, was arrested and charged with murder at the age of 16 — he was later found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 22 years in prison. He served 15 years and finished the rest of his time on parole. Eddie came home in 2006, and since that time he has... Read More →

LaTonya Myers

Bail Navigator, Defender Association of Philadelphia

LaTonya Myers is a revolutionary community organizer and activist from Philadelphia. By channeling her lived experience and raising the voices of her neighbors, she offers a passionate and innovative approach to restructuring the criminal justice system. In October 2018, she became... Read More →

Tuesday June 4, 2019 4:00pm - 5:30pm PDT
Chesapeake I-II 3rd Floor

Plenary Session