Plaquemines DSP Completes Year Of Holistic Advocacy

September 1, 2021

On September 1, 2021, the Plaquemines Defender Services Program (PDSP, a division of the 25th Judicial District Public Defender’s Office) completed its first year of services. The program was created through a grant by Baptist Community Ministries and administered by the Louisiana Justice Coalition. As of July 15, 2021, PDSP became the exclusive project of the 25th JDC Public Defender’s Office.

The PDSP supports the delivery of holistic legal defense services by providing social worker services to clients whose contact with the criminal justice system is related to – directly or indirectly – unmet social needs. The PDSP provides clients with a unique blend of legal, social and practical support through the criminal justice system – better serving the client, the community and the cause of justice.

In its first year of advocacy, PDSP served 50 clients. Of these clients, 60% (30) were male and 40% (20) were female. Eighty-six percent of the clients served were from Plaquemines Parish (17 from Upper Plaquemines, 22 from Lower Plaquemines and 4 from East Bank Plaquemines). The remaining clients were from Jefferson or Orleans Parish.

The clients referred to the program faced a variety of charges: 56% (28) faced charges relating to possession of a controlled substance, 24% (12) faced Domestic Abuse Battery Charges, 12% (6) faced probation charges. As a result, PDSP facilitated clients’ access to substance abuse treatment and/or mental health and/or domestic abuse prevention services in the vast majority of its referred cases (70%). Once referred, PDSP regularly checks in on its clients and supports them through their treatment struggles and successes. Since the program began, only one PDSP client has been re-incarcerated for a criminal charge.

In addition to direct advocacy as part of the defense team, PDSP has also undertaken social service outreach, client research, protocol development and other projects. One social service provider said, “Without their social work services, clients wouldn’t receive the treatment that they need…they would probably just get out of jail and go back to doing the same thing that they were doing, so it’s very important.”

The PDSP is supervised by District Defender Peter Barbee and staffed by Nichole Cranston, GSW, MSW (Director/Social Work Supervisor) and Alexandra Parish (MSW Social Work Intern). Clients are referred to PDSP by their public defender. PDSP works collaboratively with the public defender on behalf of these clients to strategize legal outcomes and provide holistic advocacy.

One client said, “DSP gave my life back to me. I got a second chance and took advantage of it. They opened the door for me and I’m very grateful.” The 25th JDC Public Defender’s Office is seeking local support to sustain this program within its office. For more information, please contact Peter Barbee at