At MSPD, Diversity and Inclusion means creating belonging, community and empowerment for our staff, and developing a workplace representative of the public that we serve. We value our Black, Indigenous and other people of color, women, our LGBTQ community, differently abled staff and clients, and everyone else working in our system. We believe in the power of diversity and the positive outcomes that it creates as we work toward our mission in defending the accused in Missouri every day. We have a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, several employee resource groups, and strategic recruitment plans to support diversity and inclusion within our system and we continually look for ways to grow.

Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Values

Culture: Every person and client at MSPD is valued. We actively seek varied perspectives in our decision-making and inclusiveness in every area of our work.

Integrity: We act ethically and do what is right.

Respect: We treat others with courtesy and civility.

Collaboration: We trust each other and work cooperatively across divisions to create better outcomes for our clients and enhance our peoples’ experience at work.

Legal Excellence: We consistently learn, train and educate ourselves about vulnerable communities to zealously represent our clients.

Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement

The Missouri State Public Defender System is a dynamic state agency comprised of bright and talented team members from different backgrounds who further our mission to provide high quality, zealous advocacy for indigent people who are accused of crime in our state.

We believe that Diversity and Inclusion is a lifelong process that we commit ourselves to. We continuously learn and look for ways to implement inclusion and belonging within our system through ally-ship and understanding, education, training, recruitment and retention.

As a system of hundreds of Missouri Defenders and Staff, we recognize that each one of us adds a different lived experience that helps us do this important work for the people of Missouri. We know that our diverse experiences together strengthen our representation for our clients, who come from different backgrounds, races, religions, genders and abilities.

We believe in culture, integrity, respect, collaboration and legal excellence within our system and hold each other accountable. We use these values to guide us to include diverse experiences and perspectives in our decision making. The Missouri State Public Defender continues and commits to build and educate ourselves to promote a diverse and inclusive work place in each office, for every team member, and for every client.