Capital Defense Community Resilience Discussion Forum

Capital defense work can deeply affect practitioners both professionally and personally. It involves confronting the traumatic experiences of clients and, at times, facing the devastating reality of a client’s execution despite the highest quality advocacy. To sustain this challenging but necessary work, support from a community dedicated to trauma-informed practices is essential. To help foster such a community, Advancing Real Change, Inc. will host quarterly one-hour Zoom calls for capital defenders on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. CT / 3:30 p.m. ET . These calls are designed to strengthen the capital defense community, share resources, and discuss best practices for trauma-informed care.

Log on for our next call on Tuesday, January 27th at 2:30 p.m. CT / 3:30 p.m. ET. This forum will feature three co-facilitators (see below) each leading a different breakout session. All are experienced in direct capital defense or in assisting practitioners as they reflect on their roles and perspectives of the work. At the start of each session, attendees will receive a brief overview of the breakout options and then choose the group that best aligns with their needs and interests.

Whether you have a client with a future execution date, have experienced an execution, or are supporting folks in your office who have, we invite you to share your experiences and seek solace in our community. Register here to join the call.

Prior to joining the call, attendees are strongly encouraged to read the New York Times Article “Is it healthy to grieve before a loss?” In this article, the author writes that, “typically we experience grief as a reaction to loss. But sometimes it crops up before a life transition or a death that we’re expecting.” This is called anticipatory grief, and while “immersing yourself in anticipatory grief doesn’t mean that a loss will be less painful, experts say it can help you prepare.” This article shares several ways in which people can prepare for anticipatory grief. You can access a copy of the reading here.

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 post-conviction capital 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 to clients in Texas, first at the Texas Resource Center and then in private practice.

Rita is Resource Counsel at the Military Commissions Defense Organization and spent 8 years as defense counsel on the team representing Ammar al Baluchi in the 9/11 Military Commission in 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).