OUR MISSION

Our mission is to independently assess our community’s criminal justice system by analyzing the processes that lead to jail population, understanding how the decisions in the process are made, identifying the costs associated with processes and decisions, recommending priorities to responsibly reduce jail population with associated costs, and outlining long-term sustainability options.

OUR VISION

An economical, efficient, and smart local justice system that reflects our values of fairness, compassion and good governance.
A system of pre-trial detention that effectively prioritizes public safety through data-informed and evidence-based practices.
Detention facilities that are safe and humane for both staff and detainees.
Community oversight that is sustainable and continually strives for efficiency.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

Melissa Walton the Executive Director of CJAC, wherein she works to improve Oklahoma County's justice system and advocate for better outcomes. Before joining CJAC, Melissa served as the Strategic Director of Oklahoma County Treatment Courts, overseeing growth strategies aimed at providing holistic support and rehabilitation for individuals in Oklahoma County Treatment Court programs. Previously serving as the Director of Community Engagement with ReMerge of Oklahoma County, Melissa is a passionate advocate for providing treatment over incarceration for those who are struggling with substance use or mental health disorders which may have led them into the criminal justice system.

A life-long supporter of equality, Melissa began her non-profit career as the Product Program Manager for Girl Scouts Western Oklahoma, where she led programs to teach Girl Scouts how to sharpen their decision-making and leadership skills, empowering them to reach their personal goals. Melissa holds a BS in Family and Consumer Sciences from Northeastern State University. Based in Oklahoma City, she finds joy in hiking, listening to podcasts, and exploring new destinations through travel.

OUR SIX-FOLD PLAN.

In an effort to address over-incarceration and issues plaguing the county-wide justice system, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber formed a task force to research and plan for reform on the local level.

In 2015, the task force received policy and research analysis and support from the Vera Institute of Justice, a renowned independent nonprofit national research and policy organization. Based on extensive observation and research, the Vera Institute found six major areas for improvements that now serve as the guide for all of CJAC’s work. Despite some constraints imposed by state law and a lack of resources, the majority of these strategies can be implemented at the local level through the collaboration forged by CJAC.

These efforts affirm a commitment to having a justice system in Oklahoma County that balances safety, justice and efficiency. Our community does not want to pay more for a system that keeps us less safe and results in harm to those involved. As these recommendations are being implemented by police, at the jail, and in the courts, our county is seeing significant change and a restoration of justice.

Download the Vera Report

1 Provide transparency and accountability for the local justice system.

The Criminal Justice Advisory Council fulfills this role by fostering coordination. The council brings together a diverse group of business and community leaders, law enforcement, nonprofit service providers, attorneys, and judges to peruse and sustain meaningful, long-term reform. CJAC is tasked with finding data-driven solutions and implementing them throughout the county.

2 Keep those charged with lower-level offenses out of the jail entirely.

Approximately one-quarter of all jail admissions are for low-level municipal and traffic violations. Many of these individuals do not stay in jail long, but they account for much of the volume in booking and processing which slows other operations. Booking people into jail for low-level offenses makes little or no contribution to our community’s safety and preventing those individuals from entering jail at all improves efficiency.

3 Create effective, evidence-based processes for deciding who remains in jail pretrial and who goes home.

As many as 80% of people in the Oklahoma County jail are being held pretrial, and the ability to pay cash bail is the largest determinant of who stays in the jail before trial. Oklahoma County uses a bail schedule that sets the amount an individual will pay according to the crime they are charged with (but not yet convicted of), without consideration of circumstances. That means lots of people who stay in jail for long periods only do so because they cannot pay for their release. Strategies that account for the likelihood someone will appear in court or their risk to public safety would create a more equitable and efficient system.

4 Improve the processes that move cases through the court system.

While almost half of those who come into the jail are released within three days, another half linger in the jail as their cases proceed through the court system. Delays and inefficiencies keep people needlessly locked up for long stretches of time, which in no way improves public safety or ensures meaningful justice. CJAC partners with several county judges and attorneys to work toward solutions in the courts. Cases can move quicker by taking steps to shorten the time from arrest to formal charging and from charging to case resolution, as well as reducing failure to appear warrants.

5 Create alternatives to jail for people with mental illness and/or substance use disorders.

Data suggests there at least twice as many people in the Oklahoma County jail with mental illness than the general population, and the most common state misdemeanor and felony charges for jail inmates are drug and/or alcohol-related. Finding new resources and pathways to get people out of jail and into treatment forges long-term solutions that reduce recidivism and improve the quality of life and community. CJAC works with a robust array of community partners and nonprofits to provide holistic solutions to crime including drug and alcohol treatment, job training and placement, mental health services and stable housing.

6 Stop jailing people who don’t have money for not paying fines, fees and court costs.

There are at least 103 fines and fees codified in state statute and another 26 in municipal code. Individuals can easily become overwhelmed with thousands, if not tens-of-thousands of dollars’ worth of criminal justice debt. Jail incarceration is an ineffective and inhumane response to the default of debt that untimely cost the county taxpayers more money. Instituting more efficient and compassionate strategies can help reduce the number of people who land in jail for being indebted to the criminal justice system.

OUR HISTORY.

2015.

In late 2015, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber assembled a task force to look at our current criminal justice system in Oklahoma County. The task force was comprised of leaders and community members throughout the county and city that have an interest in improving our criminal justice system.

The task force and the Chamber contracted with the VERA Institute of Justice, the nation's preeminent organization in this field, to examine our system and help provide recommendations and expertise applicable to our situation. VERA’s research consisted of a nine-month audit of the county jail, county courts, the bail schedule and law enforcement practices. By the end of 2015, the research identified several issues culminating in severe overpopulation of the county jail and inefficiencies throughout the justice system.

2020.

CJAC led the effort to grow diversion options and foster employment opportunities for justice involved people. Additionally, CJAC provided training for judges and other justice officials in strategies to prevent overwhelming fines and fees. As a result, the jail population dropped by nearly half.

The unified approach that CJAC has fostered helped courts, police and justice center officials weather the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and became a tool for transparency for county residents.

Long-term changes in the incarceration of those who commit low-level offenses as well as resources for those upon release from jail have culminated in drastic and ongoing improvements in Oklahoma county’s justice system.

2025.

In 2025, CJAC began an exciting new chapter of leadership with the appointment of Melissa Walton as Executive Director. Walton brings more than 15 years of experience in organizational leadership, public policy, diversion programming, and justice reform and is uniquely qualified to lead CJAC into its next phase. Building on the legacy of founding director Timothy Tardibono, Walton is poised to push CJAC’s mission forward with renewed energy and focus.

In further leadership evolution, Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna completed her first year as CJAC chair, alongside Chief Public Defender Brigitte Biffle as co-chair. This partnership is a powerful gesture of alignment from both sides of the criminal justice system. The county D.A. and P.D. have always served together on the council, and now, as leaders, together at the table, they have exceptional potential to better utilize sentencing alternative policies to drive down incarceration. With Walton’s clear vision and this united leadership team, CJAC is ready to drive lasting reform and deliver smarter, fairer outcomes for Oklahoma County.

2018.

The trust committed to taking a holistic approach, to reduce incarceration, increase efficiencies and better serve the community, in accordance with VERA Institute’s six recommendations. The Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council (CJAC) was formed in early 2018 as a means of ensuring long-term accountability on those six areas of improvement.

In February 2018 the council selected executive director, Timothy Tardibono. The council has since created a network of business and community leaders, law enforcement, nonprofit service providers, attorneys and judges to reach every corner of the justice system. CJAC has worked in tandem with state-wide and county level reform efforts, as well as the independent Oklahoma County Jail Trust as they take over governance of the jail.

2022.

Voters approved Oklahoma County Jail's $260 million bond package, with an overwhelming vote of almost 60% approval. This vote was a signal that our residents are highly invested in solving the problems the jail has faced with a comprehensive approach that will give way to better diversion options and mental health treatment. Additionally, the Oklahoma County Citizens' Bond Advisory Board was created to oversee the construction of a new jail and create an avenue for additional transparency into the process.

In August 2022, CJAC requested a study to follow up on the Vera Institute recommendations. Conducted by the Crime and Justice Institute (CIJ), the study identified what recommendations the county has and has not fully implemented as well as what further improvements in the system are necessary to achieve the Task Force’s goals. The assessment found that overall, the county has achieved its primary goal of reducing its population to address overcrowding, as the population is down 46 percent since its peak in 2015, and it identified further steps for long-term improvements.