Established in 2023, the Defender Support Unit (DSU) expands the availability of holistic defense services for clients represented by managed assigned counsel in Wayne County, MI. By embedding social workers and other advocates on the defense team, we aim to improve both legal and social outcomes for represented clients.

Social workers and defense-based advocates are well-equipped to help clients tell their stories and center their humanity throughout the life of a case. Through our relationship building with clients, we work to understand their needs, the context surrounding their criminal/legal system involvement, and what kind of community resources could help them work toward their goals and address the collateral consequences of system involvement.

There is evidence that social workers engaged as part of a defense team can help improve legal outcomes for represented clients, including reduced use of pre-trial detention, fewer carceral sentences, and shorter overall sentence length.