An experienced therapist and reentry expert, John was a natural fit for a mitigation specialist role with the Indiana Federal Community Defenders Office. Joining our office in 2022, John uses his specialization in reentry to help clients on pretrial release access needed community services. He also plays a critical part in helping to brainstorm and create innovative reentry plans for our clients upon their release back to their home community.
At the IFCD, John and the mitigation team work early in the process to help identify those clients whose cases need extra investigation. This is typically due to some extenuating factor, such as a history of trauma, poverty, educational hurdles, substance use, mental health disorders, or other complicating factors. John works with the attorney and the team to investigate and bring those issues before the court in a way that helps the court see and understand the whole person before them and what vulnerabilities brought them to this point.
John’s passion for mental health and reentry extends beyond his work at IFCD. He volunteers as a board member of the National Organization of Forensic Social Work, and as chair of the steering committee of the Marion County Reentry Coalition. He is also a doctoral candidate and part-time instructor at the Indiana University School of Social Work. Outside of this work, he enjoys spending time with friends, working on his house, and playing with his basset hound, Gus.