Eligibility Examiner | Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia

 

Eligibility Examiner
Location: Washington, DC
Announcement Number: PDS 2024-08
Salary: $42,870 - $69,035
Closing Date: August 21, 2024

Duties

Division Overview:
This position is located in the Public Defenders Service for the District of Columbia (PDS), Defender Services Office (DSO). DSO offices are located in the D.C. Superior Court Moultrie Courthouse located at 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Washington D.C. Services provided by the DSO include:

• Eligibility interviews of all defendants and juvenile respondents and their families.
• Eligibility determinations for all defendants and respondents to determine what, if any, eligibility they may have for legal representation provided under Criminal Justice Act.
• Verification of eligibility.
• Assisting the court in the appointment of counsel process by coordinating the call-in list for available Panel attorneys.
• Processing the lock-up list and assessing the availability of PDS attorneys, clinical students and pro bono attorneys.
• Identifying conflicts in legal representation.
• Answering inquiries from the public, attorneys, court personnel and the Judiciary.
• Collection of statistical information.

Because the DSO provides critical technical support to the court for the initial appearance of arrestees, the DSO days of operation mirror those of arraignment court. Thus, the DSO is operational on all Saturdays and on all holidays, and management and staff coverage is ensured using a rotating schedule. On a rotating basis, the incumbent must work Saturdays and any day Arraignment Court is operational.

Major Duties:
As an Eligibility Examiner, the incumbent performs the following duties:

• Writes, or assists with writing, the lock-up interview sheets.
• Interviews defendants and juvenile delinquents in the cellblocks when made available by the U.S. Marshal's Service.
• Locates and interviews family members as needed.
• Elicits information from each interviewee as to financial status for the eligibility determination and other individual demographic information for input into the PDS statistical database.
• Organizes interview sheets and distributes to courtrooms as applicable.
• Assures that every adult defendant and juvenile respondent has been interviewed before first court appearance.
• On a rotational basis or when assigned, works at a counter approximately 4ft in height, handling a variety of inquiries and requests from the public and attorneys.
• May periodically prepare the attorney cut-off and limited lists.
• When summoned, interviews defendants in courtrooms, testifies with respect to information obtained through the interview process, and explains to judicial officers the office's eligibility determination for a particular defendant.
• Inputs interview data into PDS databases.
• Incumbent rotates work assignments, lockups, and counter duties.
• Performs other duties as assigned.