Mitigation Works is a New York-based firm established in 2018 by two dedicated mitigation specialists with nearly thirty years of combined experience. We provide forensic social work, mitigation, and court advocacy services for individuals represented by retained counsel, as well as Assigned Counsel Plan (18B) and Criminal Justice Act (CJA) attorneys.
We provide professional services to aid attorneys and ensure holistic representation of their clients, including comprehensive pre-plea and pre-sentence memoranda, reports to support bail applications, and dismissal motions for state and federal cases. We additionally assist with referrals to community-based treatment programs for judicial diversion and mental health courts. The time necessary to complete a report is subject to the availability of the client, the Department of Corrections and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the procurement of records (educational, employment, medical, psychiatric, etc.) from various systems. We require a minimum of six weeks to complete a report (but prefer longer), and do not consider referrals with shorter turn around times. If you are interested in our services, please email us at hello@mitigationworks.org with information about the case with which you want assistance. We meet the Assigned Counsel Plan and the Criminal Justice Act’s eligibility requirements, are on the 18b expert roster, and are certified to enter Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) and Essex County Correctional Facility (since the closure of Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) to correspond with clients in federal custody. Court appointed attorneys may obtain our services by an application (722-C expert services voucher for 18B, request pursuant to CJA 18 U.S.C. 3006(e)(1).) for CJA) to the court. Our compensation rates for private cases vary and are subject to the complexity of the case.
Thea Krulwich has been working as a Licensed Master Social Worker in the field of criminal defense since 2012. During that time, she has advocated on behalf of hundreds of individuals facing criminal charges in state and federal courts by composing mitigation reports that withstood critical review and rebuttal and resulted in significant reductions in sentences or alternatives to incarceration. She is also a school social worker at an elementary school in Brooklyn, where she provides crisis intervention and counseling services. She has a background in developmental disability research, and spent several years of her career working primarily with pregnant and parenting people and young people. She recognizes the specific challenges these individuals face due to their gender and family circumstances; and endeavors to connect them with trauma-informed care that supports family connections, and is focused on education, healthcare, and vocational training. Prior to co-founding Mitigation Works, Thea was in a senior position at The Osborne Association, where she developed individualized pretrial release and sentencing recommendations. Before Osborne, she worked at The Fortune Society, a non profit organization that provides support to the formerly incarcerated. Thea received her Master's Degree in Social Work from New York University. While at NYU, she interned for the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center (CERC) where she provided individual, family, and group psychotherapy. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from Skidmore College. While an undergraduate, she worked at a home that offer a structured environment for youth with mental health needs, providing supervision, skill-building, and behavior support; and at a 2-bedroom community home serving individuals with terminal illnesses in the last three months of their lives.
Meredith Schriver has worked her entire professional career in the criminal justice field as a court advocate, mitigation specialist, alternative to incarceration programs liaison, and forensic interviewer. Immediately prior to co-founding Mitigation Works, Meredith was a Senior Court Advocate at The Osborne Association, where she was employed for nine years. There, she conducted psycho-social assessments, developed client-specific service plans, and prepared pre-plea and pre-sentence memoranda in criminal, supreme, and federal courts. Meredith holds dual Master's Degrees in Mental Disability Law (New York Law School) and Forensic Psychology (John Jay College of Criminal Justice). As a graduate student, she interned at New York State Psychiatric Institute; Manhattan Psychiatric Center; and STEPS to End Family Violence, a program for victims of gender-based violence. Meredith has also written extensively about ill-treatment in correctional health-care settings and has been published in the Albany Government Law Review and American University Washington School of Law's Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Justice Studies.
1177 Avenue of the Americas, Fifth Floor
New York, NY 10036
hello@mitigationworks.org
Thea Krulwich: 347.470.9418
Meredith Schriver: 917.473.1891