Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia Office of Rehabilitation and Development

The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia Office of Rehabilitation and Development is located in Washington, D.C. The Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia Office of Rehabilitation and Development specializes in cases where adults and children face a loss of liberty. Public Defenders and private attorneys appointed by the District of Columbia courts pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) provide constitutionally mandated legal representation to indigent people facing a loss of liberty in the District of Columbia. PDS handles a majority of the most difficult, complicated criminal cases, while CJA attorneys handle most of the less serious felony, misdemeanor, and regulatory offenses. ORD is composed of licensed forensic social workers and licensed forensic professional counselors who are sentencing specialists. The staff work with PDS and CJA clients who present a broad range of emotional, social, psychiatric, and substance abuse-related problems. The staff provides psychosocial assessments, individualized treatment plans, and sentencing recommendations on behalf of these clients to the Superior Court. If the court has assigned a public defender to your case in these Washington, D.C counties, please contact the office head in the respective county for assistance.