What we do
The investigation behind a fuller understanding.
Creating Belief provides focused forensic mitigation and reentry planning services for PDS-funded, CJA-funded, and private-pay criminal defense cases throughout Maine.
Forensic mitigation reports
Comprehensive reports documenting life history, trauma, protective factors, strengths, and context—prepared for defense attorneys and ready for court.
Narrative development · Social history · Mitigation themes
Explore forensic mitigation in Maine ↗Life-history interviews
In-depth, trauma-informed interviews exploring childhood, family, education, mental health, substance use, relationships, and turning points.
Structured interviews · Careful pacing · Full human context
Collateral interviews
Structured interviews with family members, employers, treatment providers, recovery supports, and community contacts when authorized by counsel.
Authorized contacts · Corroboration · Context
Records review & chronologies
Thorough review of available medical, educational, treatment, employment, criminal-history, and other relevant records, organized into clear chronologies.
Records synthesis · Timelines · Attorney-ready organization
Sentencing mitigation
Background investigation and narrative development to help defense counsel present the full human context of a case at sentencing.
Investigation · Narrative report · Reentry recommendations
Probation violation mitigation
Reports and recommendations explaining the context of a violation while identifying realistic accountability measures and community-based alternatives.
Context · Accountability · Community stability
Reentry planning
Individualized planning across housing, employment, recovery supports, family reintegration, transportation, budgeting, and community resources.
Practical needs · Available resources · Path forward
Explore reentry planning in Maine ↗Family support & resource navigation
Guidance and resource identification for families navigating incarceration, reentry, and the uncertainty of what comes next.
Orientation · Resource identification · Reentry support
Clear scope
What this work is—and what it is not.
Creating Belief provides
- ✓Mitigation investigation and social-history development
- ✓Records review and collateral interviews
- ✓Narrative mitigation reports
- ✓Individualized reentry planning
- ✓Resource navigation for individuals and families
Creating Belief does not provide
- –Legal advice or legal strategy
- –Psychological evaluations
- –Clinical diagnoses
- –Medical opinions
- –Promises about case outcomes
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Need the right scope for a particular case?
Discuss the case stage, available records, attorney needs, and current capacity before deciding on the assignment.