Jacoba . Rock
Alternate Defense Counsel
Jacoba Rock, LCSW, is a forensic social worker whose expertise is in working with crossover youth and incarcerated young adults. She provides mitigation support, sentencing advocacy, frequent client contact, and re-entry planning support to legal teams for juveniles and young adults with lengthy sentences, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable young people who have histories of child abuse, mental illness, substance abuse, or gang affiliation. Ms. Rock teaches at the University of Denver and Arapahoe Community College on the subjects of youth violence, risk and protective factors for high-risk youth, conflict resolution, cognitive-behavioral treatment, and group modalities, as well as at other local colleges on the topics of Criminal and Juvenile Justice, with a particular interest in justice system disparities. Ms. Rock has completed research on the topics of restorative practices in juvenile commitment facilities, parole revocation decision-making, and multidisciplinary legal work. Ms. Rock supervises graduate social work interns and licensed social worker contractors for the Colorado Juvenile Defender Coalition and Alternate Defense Counsel, and educates on and supports the further development of the interdisciplinary model of social workers in legal advocacy. In the past, Ms. Rock has held positions as a human services caseworker, individual and group counselor for court-involved youth, and researcher. Ms. Rock holds a Master of Social Work degree, with a high-risk youth concentration, and a graduate degree in Advanced Conflict Resolution, both from the University of Denver.
(04/14)
