Author: Jill Mencke

Jill Mencke // jmencke@okpolicy.org

Jill Mencke joined OK Policy as the Youth Justice Policy Analyst in September 2022. Jill earned her B.A. in Political Science and Economics from the University of Oklahoma in May 2020. After graduation, she worked as a family preservation specialist, providing intervention services to families experiencing issues in the home. She saw the impact intervention programs and support services can have, and is dedicated to creating more avenues for prevention and support for Oklahoma families and their youth. Jill enjoys attending local concerts, hosting movie nights, and her Siamese cat, Buddy. She was born and raised in Oklahoma and resides in Norman.

Recent Articles

Reimagining Youth Justice in Oklahoma: A Landscape Report of the Youth Justice System and Recommendations for Reform

By: Jill Mencke
October 21, 2024 // Updated: December 16, 2024
A new OK Policy report examines Oklahoma's youth justice system and suggests reforms to create impactful and transformative change for youth. [More...]

Diversion in the Youth Justice System | House Interim Study | Aug. 27, 2024

By: Jill Mencke
August 27, 2024 // Updated: December 4, 2024
OK Policy’s Youth Justice Policy Analyst Jill Mencke spoke with lawmakers on August 27, 2024, about the state’s youth justice system. Mencke explores the challenges, disparities, and opportunities within the system, advocating for effective reforms to empower youth and families… Read more [More...]

Meaningful change still needed to address mounting problems in the child welfare and youth justice systems (2024 Legislative Wrap-up)

By: Jill Mencke
June 13, 2024 // Updated: June 17, 2024
Oklahoma is not known for being a safe and hospitable place for children. Oklahoma, for the second year in a row, ranks 46th nationally in overall child well-being. Lawmakers sought to address this problem in the 2024 session by passing budget increases to vital services like the child welfare and youth justice systems. However, Oklahoma’s structural budget deficit has meant that state agencies and service providers in the child welfare systems have continually been forced to do more with less year after year. [More...]

Oklahoma should invest more in the youth justice system

By: Jill Mencke
November 2, 2023 // Updated: November 8, 2023
– – – With the overall occurrence of youth delinquency and detention at a historic low, Oklahoma has the opportunity to invest more resources in delinquency prevention and alternatives to incarceration in the youth legal system. The legislature has taken… Read more [More...]