Marquette County
Mitigation Services Program Director
Jessica Olson is a licensed social worker and has been advocating on behalf of justice involved individuals since 2015.
Email me:
jolson@mqtco.org
Jessica is a Forensic Social Worker who holds a Master’s of Social Work degree from Northern Michigan University. With a lens toward rehabilitation and treatment, Jessica passionately and zealously advocates for our clients utilizing a trauma-informed, collaborative, and strengths based approach. She works closely with our clients and their legal team to develop a plan to address the predisposing and collateral consequences of their criminal justice involvement. This work is instrumental in the development of alternative sentencing recommendations that reduce or eliminate jail time for our clients.
Jessica has a background and experience working with individuals in a variety of capacities including mental health, substance abuse, and crisis intervention. She regularly serves as trainer and presenter on topics such as trauma-informed practices in the criminal justice system, holistic defense, and motivational interviewing practices in corrections. Jessica serves as a field instructor responsible for supervising students studying social work at the bachelor and masters level.
Marquette County
Mitigation Advocate
Matthew LaFountain is a licensed community health worker who has been advocating on behalf of individuals since 2021.
Email me:
mlafountain@mqtco.org
Matt is a Ferris State University graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Allied Health Science and an Associate’s degree in Radiography. His academic journey instilled a profound commitment to the underserved communities in the Upper Peninsula. Matt’s unwavering dedication brought him back to the U.P, where he advocates for individuals linked with the justice system. He collaborates closely with our clients and their legal representatives to create an alternative plan with recommendations that could curtail or terminate jail sentencing.
Matt has extensive experience working in clinical settings with individuals who have been exposed to homelessness, mental health issues, and substance abuse. His primary focus is on bridging gaps and providing the appropriate assistance needed to our clients. Matt finds working with underserved populations particularly rewarding, with the ultimate goal of ensuring everyone has equal opportunities within the justice system.
Marquette County
Mitigation Specialist
Regional Unit
Dana J. Selin, LLMSW provides mitigation services to Public Defense offices in the Upper Peninsula counties.
Email me:
dselin@mqtco.org
Dana Selin is a Northern Michigan University graduate with a Master’s Degree of Social Work. Originally from Wisconsin, she chose to go to school and now live in Marquette for Lake Superior and the surrounding natural beauty. Dedicated to creating change in both small and large systems, Dana utilizes her skills to advocate for individuals who are navigating the criminal justice system. The work that is done within the mitigation program is important to her mission of social justice, particularly the issue of mass incarceration. She collaborates closely with clients and the legal team to create opportunities for rehabilitation for our clients.
Dana has experience with individuals who are both navigating the justice system and individuals that are incarcerated. While attaining her Bachelor’s Degree she was a previous intern with the Public Defender’s office and is thrilled to be back. Her overarching goal is to pursue fair opportunities for our clients and making sure she is providing appropriate support.
Supporting Mitigation Team members
Meegan Smith (she/they) graduated from the University of Michigan in 2021 with her Bachelor of Arts in psychology. She began her Master of Social Work this fall at Northern Michigan University with the intention of specializing in macro practice. Meegan is passionate about combating social inequities, including lacking access to educational, economic, and community resources, in order to diminish criminal behavior among youth and adults. She intends to use the experience in the mitigation program to explore how changing policy and overhauling inadequate social systems can reduce crime, as well as protect marginalized groups from the systems that harm them. One day, she would like to propose policies that can minimize the social and environmental risks to antisocial behavior (e.g., aggression, rule breaking) and psychopathic traits (e.g., manipulative, callous), such as adverse childhood experiences, exposure to violence, socioeconomic opportunity, and neighborhood environment, in order to prevent the issues that cause crime in the first place.
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Office of the Public Defender 