The Colorado Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD) is involved in a variety of special projects and initiatives. Some of these initiatives are aimed at improving our clients’ access to the legal services to which they’re entitled, while others are intended to provide the support and assistance our team needs to do our jobs to the best of our ability.
The OSPD provides important legal defense services to indigent people who are often facing extremely high stakes based on the criminal charges levied against them. This work can be highly stressful and all-consuming. In order to combat the stress and rigors of the job, the OSPD has implemented a variety of defender wellness programs.
The OSPD offers a robust peer support program consisting of an in-house team of attorneys, social workers, investigators, paralegals and administrative staff who offer support and resources for anyone experiencing personal or work-related stress. Our peer support team is an important component to our efforts in reducing burnout, turnover and serious mental health issues.
The restorative justice initiative seeks to shift the focus of the criminal justice process away from blame, shame and punishment in favor of an approach that focuses on compassionate, supportive accountability, healing and transformation for all. This process brings victims and their families face to face with those who have inflicted harm on them in an attempt to discuss the impact of what happened and determine the best way to repair the harm to those affected.
The Colorado state legislature has enacted a Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) liaison program to assist incarcerated individuals in resolving a variety of legal matters. The liaison program also serves as an intermediary between the OSPD, CDOC and board of parole to improve transparency in the legal process.