There can be no true justice if we do not understand the truth about individuals accused of crimes. ARC is leading the effort to expand mitigation investigation in the most punitive jurisdictions in the country, train defenders to effectively uncover and share their clients' full life histories, and change the narrative around crime.
Who deserves mercy?
Mitigation is our best chance to build understanding and empathy in the criminal legal system.
Many decision-makers – such as judges, juries, and prosecutors – consider only the crime and ignore the accused person’s redeeming qualities, the community that cares for them, their experiences, and their potential for growth. This leads to sentences that are excessive, capricious, and discriminatory and that contribute to the current epidemic of mass incarceration in the United States.
Our job is to uncover the whole truth about our clients. Detailed information about the lives of individuals accused of crimes – called “mitigating evidence” – can help decision-makers understand our clients’ full personhood and particular circumstances and choose more humane sentences. To achieve truly just outcomes, the full, true story of a person’s life must be told.
With offices in Baltimore and Jacksonville and a nationwide impact, Advancing Real Change, Inc. is transforming individual lives and changing the criminal legal system for the better.
Our staff members serve as mitigation specialists on criminal defense teams for poor clients across the country. The evidence we unearth is shared with decision-makers, leading to more humane sentences based on a full understanding of our clients’ lives and allowing us to create re-entry plans that respond to a client’s true needs. Because of our work, more than 90% of our clients have avoided the worst potential outcomes in their cases. They have their full lives ahead of them and the potential for growth and change. Some have or will one day return to their communities.
Effectively collecting mitigating evidence and developing true, detailed life histories is a painstaking process that requires significant skill and training. Advancing Real Change, Inc., is a leading provider of training and support to a growing community of defense team members across the country. We do this through in-person and virtual training events, online resources, and consulting. We provide these services free of charge to ensure that every person facing the loss of their life or liberty has a skilled team of defenders advocating for them. Fees for high-quality legal education can also limit the professional diversity our clients need for effective representation. Our no-cost trainings remove that barrier. Our training and education offerings have been accessed by more than 2,500 practitioners.
Mitigation investigation can deeply effect practitioners both professionally and personally. It involves confronting the traumatic experiences of clients and, at times, facing the devastating reality of a client being sent to prison for decades, or worse, being executed. To sustain this challenging but necessary work, ARC hosts virtual resilience forums to strengthen the capital defense community, share resources, and discuss best practices for trauma-informed care—for both defenders and their clients. ARC has also gathered mitigation specialists in the Baltimore and Jacksonville area for potlucks to build a stronger, more supportive community. Check our calendar for upcoming events or email [email protected] for more information and to request support.
There is a high need for mitigation specialists across the country, yet too few practitioners.
Unlike other roles within the legal system that typically require law degrees, mitigation is a multidisciplinary profession and should be conducted by people with diverse educational backgrounds. The profession offers a unique opportunity for students to pursue careers in the legal field without entering costly academic programs that may result in unsustainable debt or carry a greater risk of external circumstances derailing an individual’s career. Yet many are unaware of the profession or have no way to learn more.
ARC is changing that with target outreach, paid internships, and more. Learn more about our internships and apply here, and find other career opportunities here.
Mitigation provides a path toward a deeper understanding, not only of individuals and their unique histories, but also of how our collective social systems fail and how these failures lead to harm. Advancing Real Change, Inc., is building a coalition of defenders and advocates that understand the value of mitigation and the way that developing and sharing true life histories fosters empathy and human dignity in the criminal legal system.
We are sharing what we know to push back against harmful narratives and promote compassion and understanding for those accused of crimes and their communities.
