Social workers play a critical role in modern public defender offices, whether performing mitigation work for pretrial negotiations and sentencing hearings or helping clients to secure access to basic human needs. Although social workers have held in-house positions in public defender offices since at least the 1970s, their service is largely limited to mitigation practice and traditional social work. This article raises an opportunity for social workers to broaden their capacity within public defense by pursuing investigator positions. A case is made for interested social workers to draw upon their education, training, and experience to showcase the alignment between their talents and the requisite skills and performance required of investigative work. Evidence is offered to support the notion that social workers bring skills and a social justice orientation to investigative work that can provide for fresh insight and innovation in investigation and defense strategy. The value brought to investigation by social workers throughout a legal defense is specified, as are considerations for applying and interviewing for investigator positions as social workers.

中文翻译：

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社会工作者作为公设辩护人办公室调查员的案例

社会工作者在现代公设辩护办公室中发挥着关键作用，无论是为审前谈判和量刑听证会执行缓解工作，还是帮助客户确保获得基本的人类需求。尽管社会工作者至少从 20 世纪 70 年代开始就在公设辩护人办公室担任内部职位，但他们的服务主要限于缓解实践和传统社会工作。本文为社会工作者提供了一个机会，通过追求调查员职位来扩大他们在公共辩护方面的能力。为感兴趣的社会工作者提供了一个案例，可以利用他们的教育、培训和经验来展示他们的才能与调查工作所需的必要技能和绩效之间的一致性。提供的证据支持这样的观点，即社会工作者将技能和社会正义导向带到调查工作中，可以为调查和防御策略提供新的见解和创新。指定了社会工作者在整个法律辩护过程中调查的价值，以及申请和面试社会工作者调查员职位的考虑因素。