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Steps Towards Justice 

Ask a Mitigation Specialist

Ask a Mitigation Specialist – September 17

Ask a Mitigation Specialist, a resource program that allows defenders to meet directly and privately with a mitigation specialist for specific technical assistance. Complete the form below for a 25-minute session with experienced mitigation professionals. The information discussed during each session is confidential. Complete the registration form to request an appointment.


  • September 17, 2025
  • 3:00 pm EDT
  • Alicia Amezcua-Rodriguez and Scarlet Nerad

  • Free Admission

Please only sign up for AMS if you can commit to attending, as this helps us and our advisors manage scheduling and keeps spots available for those who can fully participate. If an emergency or unexpected conflict arises, please notify us as soon as possible so we can adjust plans and honor the time our volunteer advisors generously offer.

Alicia Amezcua-Rodriguez

Alicia Amezcua-Rodriguez has represented individuals facing the death penalty since 2004. She is currently a program attorney with the Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Program and resource counsel for the Texas Regional Habeas Assistance and Training program. She is also a bilingual and bicultural mitigation specialist, specializing in developing mitigation evidence in capital cases involving foreign nationals.

Ms. Amezcua-Rodriguez graduated from New York University School of Law in 1998. Upon graduation, she received a two-year Soros Criminal Justice Fellowship. As a Soros Fellow, she implemented a project at the Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Division aimed at enhancing the representation of juveniles facing delinquency charges in New York State Family Court. From 2001-2004, she served as law clerk to the Honorable Judith Lieb in New York State Criminal Court.

Scarlet Nerad

Scarlet Nerad has been mitigating on behalf of men and women facing the death penalty for 25 years. She co-founded Community Resource Initiative in 2007 to continue to investigate death penalty cases at the trial and post-conviction proceedings and train others while creating and implementing initiatives designed to combat the risk factors in children, we now recognize left our clients most at risk for incarceration.

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