PUBLIC DEFENDERS OFFICE, 9TH CIRCUIT- DISPOSITION SPECIALIST I - 21000956

Requisition No: 882546

Agency: Justice Administrative Commission

Working Title: PUBLIC DEFENDERS OFFICE, 9TH CIRCUIT- DISPOSITION SPECIALIST I - 21000956

Pay Plan: Public Defndrs JAC

Position Number: 21000956

Salary: $50,000.00

Posting Closing Date: 12/31/2026

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Job Title: Disposition Specialist

Office: Ninth Circuit Public Defender's Office

Position Overview

The Disposition Specialist plays a critical role in supporting Assistant Public Defenders through comprehensive case management, mitigation development, and fact‑based investigation in both juvenile (delinquency) and adult criminal cases. This position blends social‑service‑oriented mitigation work with traditional investigative duties to help build holistic, client‑centered defense strategies.

The work includes conducting biopsychosocial interviews, identifying mental health, substance use, trauma, intellectual, educational, and social‑service needs, and collaborating with attorneys to craft persuasive alternative sentencing, treatment plans, and placement recommendations. Additionally, the role requires investigating case facts, interviewing witnesses, gathering records and evidence, and participating in multidisciplinary staffing meetings to assess barriers to client success and refine strategies.

Applicants must be comfortable working with clients in jails, juvenile detention centers, correctional institutions, hospitals, and throughout the community.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive biopsychosocial interviews with juvenile and adult clients to identify factors impacting legal representation, including mental health, substance use, trauma, housing, education, employment, and other mitigating circumstances.
• Provide clients with appropriate community resource information and coordinate referrals to support services.
• Prepare organized mitigation materials such as narrative reports, chronological histories, timelines, and comprehensive record analyses.
• Collaborate with Assistant Public Defenders to develop defense strategies, disposition recommendations, and alternative sentencing options.
• Participate in multidisciplinary case staffing to identify barriers and improve client outcomes.
• When required for a case, conduct investigations by interviewing clients, witnesses, victims, and collateral contacts; locating witnesses; and recording investigative results.
• Obtain, review, and analyze medical, educational, employment, military, mental health, substance abuse, child welfare, and other records to support case investigation and disposition planning.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, Human Services, or related field.
• Experience in case management, social services, mitigation, or behavioral‑health work.
• Strong writing, communication, and computer skills.
• Valid Florida Driver's License, clean driving record, reliable transportation, and ability to travel throughout the circuit.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and work collaboratively.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in mental health or social‑services discipline.
• Experience with capital mitigation.
• Familiarity with school systems, special‑needs populations, and community providers
• Strong preference for candidates with experience producing mitigation reports and individualized treatment plans
• Bilingual English/Spanish or English/Creole.

If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS at 1-844-377-1888 on how your current benefits may be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended, or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.