Impact of Social Work Practice in Public Defense. Issue 45 (27th May 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Buchanan, Sarah; Orme, John
• Is Part Of: Journal of social service research. Issue 45:Number 3(2019)
• Page Start: 336
• Page End: 347
• Publication Date: 2019-05-27
• Subjects: Public defense -- holistic defense -- indigent defense -- forensic social work -- propensity score analysis; Social service -- Research -- Periodicals; Social service -- Periodicals; 361.305
• DOI: 10.1080/01488376.2018.1480559
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0148-8376

Abstract

Abstract: Public defenders are increasingly welcoming social workers into their practice, but there is little understanding of the impact of social work services in this context. This study used propensity score matching to determine the effect of social work services on public defense clients in terms of the number and severity of criminal charges when statistically controlling for pre-existing criminal history and demographic characteristics. Findings indicate that social work and non-social work clients were similar in terms of demographics and that clients in both groups were more likely to have incurred misdemeanor charges, but clients in the social work group experienced more, suggesting greater life disruption. When comparing clients who did and did not receive social work services, results indicate that the number of misdemeanor charges incurred during a two-year time period was lower for clients who received social work services. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.