Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Select Presentations
Timeline
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Amber Eriksson, LMSW

Mitigation Specialist, Investigator
Tallahassee,FL

Summary

Passionate Mitigation Specialist, Investigator, and Social Worker for the Defense committed to holistic, client-driven advocacy; disrupting and dismantling the cycles of mass incarceration and other forms of systemic oppression; fostering healthy, and equitable work environments.

Overview

11
11
years of professional experience
6
6
years of post-secondary education

Work History

Mitigation Specialist, Investigator

Federal Defenders, Middle District Of Georgia
12.2020 - Current
  • Develop thoroughly researched, holistic pre-pleading and sentencing advocacy plans.
  • Visit, analyze crime scenes. Identify and locate key witnesses. Obtain, review and summarize relevant records.
  • Identify factors that call for special consideration from the court such as human trafficking involvement, intellectual or cognitive disabilities, collective community trauma or significant physical/ mental health issues. Recommend, locate experts.
  • Shoot, produce and edit mitigation videos.
  • Collaboratively coordinate trial and sentencing strategy; identify and prepare witnesses; work with clients to prepare allocution.
  • Provide preliminary mental health evaluations and regular support for clients, as appropriate.

Mitigation Specialist, Sentencing Advocate

Independent Practice
05.2016 - Current
  • Conduct thorough mitigation investigations in both state and federal criminal cases: identify, locate and analyze relevant records; craft detailed reports and narrative sentencing memoranda; make expert recommendations and client resource referrals; consult on and co-develop strategy for court hearings.

Lead Investigator, Advocacy & Outreach Paralegal

Southern Poverty Law Center
10.2018 - 01.2021
  • Led multi-organizational investigation into conditions and overuse of solitary confinement by Florida Department of Corrections. Organized and analyzed hundreds of thousands of documents received through discovery, open records and FOIA requests.
  • Conducted trauma-informed interviews with incarcerated individuals regarding their experiences with solitary confinement, excessive force, sexual assault. Facilitated trainings on trauma-informed interviewing techniques for legal team.
  • Managed relationships and communication with putative class members. Offered mental health support, crisis intervention and institutional advocacy, as needed.
  • Trained, supervised case-related workflow of 4 team members.

Social Worker

New York Community Hospital
11.2017 - 10.2018
  • Assessed patients' physical, psychological and social needs in order to connect them with appropriate community resources upon discharge.
  • Coordinated donation of medical supplies and services from community providers for patients with no insurance or limited means.

Mitigation Intern

Federal Defender Of New York - Eastern District
09.2016 - 08.2017
  • Coordinated the investigation of the human rights violations endured by women incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn.
  • Worked with clients, legal team to develop individualized, holistic reentry plans; presented findings of mitigation investigations to the court via written reports and orally.

Representative to the United Nations

World OMEP
08.2013 - 06.2017
  • Promoted importance of community-designed and -driven intervention for those impacted by forced migration at UN-sponsored events. Co-led coalition of NGOs, drafted proposed international legislation, co-authored grant proposals.

Clinical Intern

Sanctuary For Families
09.2015 - 08.2016
  • Conducted trauma-informed counseling sessions with families impacted by domestic violence. Assessed needs, performed risk and lethality assessments, employed crisis intervention and safety planning when necessary.

Education

Master of Social Work - Advanced Generalist Practice, Law Minor

Columbia University
New York, NY
08.2015 - 05.2017

Bachelor of Arts - Psychology, Children And Youth Studies

Brooklyn College of The City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY
08.2010 - 06.2014

Middlebury Language School - Spanish

Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
06.2018 - 08.2018

Skills

    Video production and editing

Intermediate Spanish language skills, actively working towards professional proficiency

Trauma-informed clinical work including the use CBT, DBT and motivational interviewing techniques; suicidality assessment and crisis intervention

Select Presentations

“Can I Live? Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Change” - Beyond the Bars, Columbia University, New York, NY, March 2017 


“Mobilizing the Next Generation: The Importance of Engaging Youth in Advocacy Work" - World OMEP World Conference and Assembly , Seoul, South Korea, July 2016 

Timeline

Mitigation Specialist, Investigator

Federal Defenders, Middle District Of Georgia
12.2020 - Current

Lead Investigator, Advocacy & Outreach Paralegal

Southern Poverty Law Center
10.2018 - 01.2021

Middlebury Language School - Spanish

Middlebury College
06.2018 - 08.2018

Social Worker

New York Community Hospital
11.2017 - 10.2018

Mitigation Intern

Federal Defender Of New York - Eastern District
09.2016 - 08.2017

Mitigation Specialist, Sentencing Advocate

Independent Practice
05.2016 - Current

Clinical Intern

Sanctuary For Families
09.2015 - 08.2016

Master of Social Work - Advanced Generalist Practice, Law Minor

Columbia University
08.2015 - 05.2017

Representative to the United Nations

World OMEP
08.2013 - 06.2017

Bachelor of Arts - Psychology, Children And Youth Studies

Brooklyn College of The City University of New York
08.2010 - 06.2014

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Amber Eriksson, LMSWMitigation Specialist, Investigator