Ohio Proposes Big Changes to Sex Offender Laws

Big changes are being proposed for Ohio’s sex offender registration laws according to the Dayton Daily News. The changes could make it considerably easier for sex offenders to get off the registry if they are no longer a threat to society.

The proposed changes will need to be passed by legislature to become law and will allow sex offenders the ability or option to petition for status change after years of good behavior, advanced age or illness.

“We’re trying to bring in some common-sense changes that will hopefully maintain, of course, the community safety, but address other issues to make the registry effective,” said Jill Beeler, appellate services director for the Ohio Public Defender’s Office.

The current proposed system is a mix of other systems in place throughout the United States, involving a tiered system but the changes are to the specific tiers themselves.

• Tier III, the most severe, still retains a mandatory life registration but there will be less cases labeled Tier III — aggravated rape or rape of a child; kidnapping a minor to engage in sexual activity; aggravated murder or murder with sexual motivation; and repeat offenses

The lower-tier offenses will be handled at the discretion of a judge on whether they have to register or not.

One an individual has been tiered, they’ll have the option after a certain number of years to petition a change, specifically to lower their tier — similar to how prison inmates can be “up for parole” to see “parole boards” to determine their case.

A more controversial recommendation from the Criminal Justice Recodification Committee would be removing the residency restriction, which bars sex offenders from living near schools, who cite data that shows no evidence that those restrictions help with public safety.

To read more about the proposed changes head over to Dayton Daily News.