Services
Services
At the Ventura County Public Defender’s Office, we are committed to providing high-quality legal defense services to individuals who are unable to afford private counsel. Our team of experienced attorneys, investigators, and social workers works diligently to ensure that every client receives fair and just representation. We handle a wide range of cases, from felonies and misdemeanors to juvenile defense and appeals. Additionally, we offer specialized services through mental health and veterans’ courts, helping clients navigate the complexities of the legal system while addressing their unique needs.
Celebrating 56 Years of Advocacy
Juvenile Criminal Cases
Attorneys represent minors accused of criminal conduct; from their first appearance in court through the disposition of the case and during the periods of probation or other rehabilitative programming. The attorney is the minor’s advocate throughout all stages of the proceedings.
Contempts
Mental Health
The Ventura Public Defender’s Office is a fierce advocate and progressive participant in the development and implementation of programs for individuals who, because of mental illness, are involved in the legal system.
Probate
We represent over a thousand individuals who because of a developmental disability or other cognitive disorder lack the capacity to care for themselves and/or their finances, and a conservator has petitioned the Court to place them on conservatorship. If a conservatorship is granted, we continue our representation to ensure our clients’ needs are met and their finances are protected. A probate conservatorship usually lasts for the length of a person’s life.
Specialty Courts
Public Defenders appear in courts designated to handle specific types of clients or charges. Examples of these are adult veteran’s court and juvenile drug court, domestic violence court, homeless court, and mentally ill offender court. Public Defenders seek to balance the need for treatment with protection of the Constitutional rights of clients in these courts
Writs & Appeals
Ventura County Public Defender clients can challenge legal errors made at trial court by filing either a writ or an appeal in a reviewing court. The Writs and Appeals division works to identity trial court legal errors, files the necessary documents to either the misdemeanor or felony reviewing court, and argues for the correction of any errors. The division’s work is essential in making sure that potential incorrect legal orders do not go unchallenged.
Post Conviction Unit
A grant funded unit which combats the results of mass incarceration. Attorneys petition for resentencing of lengthy prison terms which were unjustifiably imposed.
Fresh Start Unit
The “Fresh Start” program offered by the Ventura County Public Defender’s Office focuses on helping individuals clear their criminal records to improve their chances for employment, housing, and other opportunities. The program assists eligible clients with processes such as expungements, record sealing, and early probation termination. By removing or minimizing the impact of past convictions, the Fresh Start program offers individuals a second chance to reintegrate into society without the burden of a criminal record holding them back.
Case Investigations
The Public Defender Investigator is an integral part of the defense team. Investigators gather information that is used to assist the attorneys in preparing cases for court.
Sentencing Specialist Unit
The Sentencing Specialist Unit supports the Public Defender’s mission by providing inclusive services to clients both in and out of custody. No two clients are alike, and each individual receives attention and assistance specific to their needs.
- Juvenile Justice Facility
- Specialists are assigned to help guide our youngest clients, and aid their families in transitioning their sons and daughters away from repeated unlawful behavior.
- Program placements
- Specialists assist with placement of clients in need of drug/alcohol rehab programs or a mental health facility.
- Social histories
- Specialists interview clients with the goal of discovering and documenting mitigating factors that are specific to their life.
- Post-conviction
- For clients seeking re-sentencing, Sentencing Specialists provide a personal interview, document our client’s accomplishments while in prison, and create an individualized, detailed re-entry plan post-incarceration.
Adult Criminal
Cases
Public Defenders have strong trial and litigation backgrounds and are experienced in representing disadvantaged and unhoused clients in all types of felony and misdemeanor charges filed in Ventura County courtrooms. Supported by in-house investigators and support staff, our lawyers advocate for the person, as well as their criminal charge. From arraignment, through trial and/or sentencing, our primary focus is providing the best legal representation possible with a holistic look and an emphasis on mitigation and alternative sentencing services.
Adult Criminal
Cases
Offering experienced representation from arraignment to sentencing
Juvenile
Criminal Cases
Representing minors in court and through probation or rehabilitation
Specialty
Courts
Addressing specific client needs, including Veterans, Reentry, CIC, and Homeless Courts
Mental Health
Representing those involuntarily committed or under conservatorship, and handling appeals for fair trials
Probate
We aid those with a developmental or other cognitive disorder to ensure their needs and finances are protected.
Writs & Appeals
Writs and Appeals services at the Ventura County Public Defender’s Office provide clients the opportunity to challenge legal errors made at the trial court.
Post Conviction Unit
A grant funded unit which combats the results of mass incarceration. Attorneys petition for resentencing of lengthy prison terms which were unjustifiably imposed.
Fresh Start Unit
By removing or minimizing the impact of past convictions, the Fresh Start program offers individuals a second chance to reintegrate into society without the burden of a criminal record holding them back.
Contempts
Supporting defense strategies by gathering crucial information
Case
Investigations
Supporting defense strategies by gathering crucial information. The Public Defender Investigator is an integral part of the defense team.
Sentencing Specialists
Sentencing Specialists play a central, individualized role in the Public Defender’s office. They document comprehensive life stories in support of our clients’ defense, and collect mitigating information to assist our lawyers in locating case appropriate facilities, programs, and other alternatives to jail or prison.