Ask a Mitigation Specialist – November 13th

Shantel Rodriguez

Shantel Rodriguez has been working in capital defense as a mitigation specialist since 2007.  After receiving her JD from the City University of New York, she moved to Houston and began her mitigation career as a staff mitigation specialist at the Gulf Region Advocacy Center.  She has been on teams for both federal and state pre- and post-conviction capital cases in Texas and Louisiana. At present, based in Lansing, Michigan, she is primarily involved with juvenile life without parole resentencings.  Ms. Rodriguez is also a restorative justice practitioner, assisting with classes at the Ingham County Jail and as a facilitator with the Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan.   She most recently worked with pretrial defendants at the Ingham County Court and is currently pursuing a Professional Certificate in Restorative Justice with Vermont Law School.

Regina W. Curry DSW, LMSW

Regina W. Curry, is an experienced mitigation specialist/forensic social worker with over 15 years in the Mississippi Office of Capital Defense Counsel and Capital Post-Conviction Counsel. She worked on several high-profile cases including Curtis Flowers, David Cox, and Mississippi Miller cases. Currently serving as a National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer (NACDL) faculty and presented at national and state conferences which include Life in the Balance, National Association of Public Defenders, Mississippi Association of Public Defenders, and National Association of Social Workers MS. She has enjoyed sharing her mitigation and professional skills with social work students from MS and AL school of social work programs as a field supervisor.