Capital Defense Community Resilience Forum

Capital defense work can profoundly impact practitioners, requiring them to confront clients’ trauma, shoulder the responsibility of attempting to prevent or stop an execution, and, at times, grapple with the reality that an execution proceeds despite their efforts. Advancing Real Change, Inc. hosts 75-minute quarterly Zoom calls for capital defenders on Tuesdays starting at 3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT to build community, share resources, and discuss trauma-informed practices. Whether you’re facing a pending execution, have experienced one, or support colleagues who have, you’re invited to join.

At the start of each forum, attendees will receive a brief overview of the breakout options and then choose the group that best fits their needs and interests. They will then join a roundtable discussion in one of three breakout rooms led by co-facilitators (see below). Active participation is expected, and attendees are strongly encouraged to keep cameras on unless there are extenuating circumstances, as this helps foster community and meaningful conversation.

Register here to join the call.

This initiative and other ARC, Inc. trauma-informed efforts are partially in response to the TIC Audit Report to the Capital Defense Community (PDF). The report summarizes findings related to defender experiences during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. You are invited to read the report to discover more ways practitioners, agencies, and organizations can implement trauma-informed practices to reduce harm.

Facilitators

Rita Radostitz

Rita Radostitz has served as a criminal defense attorney for her entire legal career, including many years doing capital post-conviction work in Texas. She has recently been certified as an end-of-life doula. She accompanied numerous clients through their executions while serving as defense counsel, first at the Texas Resource Center and then in private practice. Currently, she is working with a number of capital defense teams as they prepare for and/or recover from the execution of a client, supported by funding from the ACLU Capital Punishment Project.

Rita recently retired from her position as Resource Counsel with the Military Commissions Defense Organization where she spent the past decade as defense counsel in the 9/11 case being litigated in the Military Commissions at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She has also worked as a journalist, clinical professor of law, professor of non-profit management, and communications director for a large university and a number of small non-profit organizations.

Susannah Sheffer

Susannah Sheffer, director of the After Violence Project’s Access to Treatment Initiative. is a clinical mental health counselor and a writer and researcher focusing on the impact of the death penalty. Her 2013 book Fighting for Their Lives: Inside the Experience of Capital Defense Attorneys is based on interviews with 20 post-conviction attorneys who had lost at least one client (and often several clients) to execution, and she has spoken to law school classes and hosted discussions with capital habeas attorneys in the years since the book’s publication. More recently, she has been facilitating a group for capital trial attorneys. Previously, Susannah worked with Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights.

Katherine Ashton

Katherine Ashton provides direct supervision to staff in addition to working on behalf of ARC’s capital and juvenile clients. Katherine has worked on capital cases in both federal and state courts, juvenile resentencing cases, and sentencing modifications for those convicted of crimes as children. Katherine joined ARC, Inc. with a background in community-based advocacy and direct service to individuals experiencing homelessness, and became involved with mitigation work during an internship with the University of Texas School of Law’s Capital Punishment Clinic. She joined ARC, Inc. after receiving her Master of Science in Social Work degree (MSSW) from the University of Texas at Austin and her Master of Divinity degree (MDiv) from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Katherine is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW).