AEP Volunteer Spotlight: Rosanne Trabocchi
A Public Servant's Dedication to the Incarcerated and Veterans
Captain Rosanne Trabocchi, an Emeritus volunteer from Mount Sinai, New York, stands as a distinguished veteran, attorney, and leader. Having forged a remarkable legal career in the United States Coast Guard (USCG), she continues to make a lasting contribution as a devoted public servant to those in need.
Capt. Trabocchi's educational accomplishments attest to her commitment to legal and business excellence, including an Associate's Degree in Business Administration from Suffolk Community College, a Cum Laude Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Accounting from Dowling College, a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Juris Doctorate (JD) from Washburn School of Law (completed in an accelerated two-and-a-half year program with the last year spent at Buffalo Law School, SUNY). After law school, Capt. Trabocchi held a one-year judicial clerkship with a federal bankruptcy court judge and was briefly part of the litigation group of the NYC Housing Authority. However, fueled by her passion for military service cultivated during her experiences as a dedicated USCG Auxiliary Volunteer and as a federal civilian auditor for the U.S. Air Force, Capt. Trabocchi decided to return to military service.
Capt. Trabocchi served 23 years of active duty as a Judge Advocate in the USCG's Office of the Judge Advocate General. Capt. Trabocchi also served as legal counsel and as a military judge for special court-martial. Her notable roles included serving as Chief of the Office of Claims and Litigation in Washington, DC, Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Hearing Office, and an assignment at the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies where she participated in the instruction of the Rule of Law and Maritime Law. Trabocchi retired in 2012 with the distinction of Captain. She then transitioned into a new chapter of volunteering and legal advocacy. Her expertise propelled her from a volunteer to a staff attorney and eventually to Director of the Touro Law School Veterans and Servicemembers Rights Clinic. Afterwards, she continued her commitment to service by volunteering with the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program where she represented veterans before the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
In 2018, Capt. Trabocchi stumbled upon a distinct opportunity for Emeritus volunteers through the AEP. An immediate opening emerged with the Prisoners' Legal Services of New York Pro Bono Partnership (PLS). At the time, PLS put out an urgent request for a qualified attorney. Capt. Trabocchi brought her military legal background and some prior experience working with incarcerated veterans in county jails to the assignment. Under the dedicated guidance, encouragement, and support of PLS staff she enthusiastically embraced the challenge. She delved into learning relevant New York law and wholeheartedly committed herself to serving one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups - incarcerated veterans.
Princess: Why Prisoners Legal Services?
Capt. Trabocchi: Ask and you shall receive. I learned everything about the practice of law in New York State in this particular area through the dedication and support from PLS. Any questions I had, information I needed, or for other assistance to get the job done, the PLS team quickly responded with the help. This organization changes lives and volunteering makes a difference for individual prisoners. When violation hearings are reversed and guilty findings and punishment annulled and expunged from a prisoner's record, it makes an impact on their parole or release dates, and doesn't continue to show on their disciplinary history, which is important when facing a future violation hearing. I am beyond grateful for having had the opportunity to work with the PLS. It is truly a privilege and honor to work with this incredible organization. As an organization, they do tremendous work, big work, that affects the larger prisoner population as a whole. I do this work to show a prisoner - a person - that someone cares about their plight even though their misguided and thoughtless actions got them where they are. I believe that every now and then, an act of kindness, a belief in the person, will reach someone's soul and help them turn their lives around.
Princess: What are the challenges?
Capt. Trabocchi: There are many challenges as an AEP volunteer attorney at the PLS. First, you do not have easy access to contact your clients; you cannot just simply phone your client and your client can't just pick up the phone to call you. To communicate with your client, it requires a prison appointment which maybe too late for submission of an administrative appeal. Secondly, you do not have immediate access to evidence. To request documentation, videos, and audio from a disciplinary hearing, it requires a FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) request. Oftentimes the request is not responded to in full or not responded to on time.
Princess: What are some successes?
Capt. Trabocchi: Growing up, I always had an attention to detail that even surprised me and since then have scrutinized details to win cases. For example, one of the cases had the incarcerated individual's wrong cell number on a document and I ended up winning the case because the cell in which the item was found was key. And a lot of research - I probably overdo my research, but that factors into how I word my arguments, using language and perspective that has been favored by the courts.
Princess: What are some lessons and takeaways you learned from your work?
Capt. Trabocchi: Prison is a horrible place. It is a matter of survival. It is a place where you might find less than honorable, sometimes corrupt, correction officers and other prisoners may do harm to those that won't fit in with their cliques or meet their expectations. People are dehumanized, degraded, and worn down. I have no idea why people think rehabilitation is possible in a prison of persons just trying to do what they can to survive. From the degrading and dehumanizing body searches to the constant threat of tickets that bring punishments that are difficult to have annulled and expunged. A person already enduring stigma and shame from arrest and criminal conviction is further beaten down.
