(A) As used in this section:
(1) "Deadly weapon" and "dangerous ordnance" have the same meanings as in section 2923.11 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Disqualifying prison term" means any of the following:
(a) A prison term imposed for aggravated murder, murder, voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, kidnapping, rape, aggravated arson, aggravated burglary, or aggravated robbery;
(b) A prison term imposed for complicity in, an attempt to commit, or conspiracy to commit any offense listed in division (A)(2)(a) of this section;
(c) A prison term of life imprisonment, including any term of life imprisonment that has parole eligibility;
(d) A prison term imposed for any felony other than carrying a concealed weapon an essential element of which is any conduct or failure to act expressly involving any deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance;
(e) A prison term imposed for any violation of section 2925.03 of the Revised Code that is a felony of the first or second degree;
(f) A prison term imposed for engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity in violation of section 2923.32 of the Revised Code;
(g) A prison term imposed pursuant to section 2971.03 of the Revised Code;
(h) A prison term imposed for any sexually oriented offense.
(3) "Eligible prison term" means any prison term that is not a disqualifying prison term and is not a restricting prison term.
(4) "Restricting prison term" means any of the following:
(a) A mandatory prison term imposed under division (B)(1)(a), (B)(1)(c), (B)(1)(f), (B)(1)(g), (B)(2), or (B)(7) of section 2929.14 of the Revised Code for a specification of the type described in that division;
(b) In the case of an offender who has been sentenced to a mandatory prison term for a specification of the type described in division (A)(4)(a) of this section, the prison term imposed for the felony offense for which the specification was stated at the end of the body of the indictment, count in the indictment, or information charging the offense;
(c) A prison term imposed for trafficking in persons;
(d) A prison term imposed for any offense that is described in division (A)(4)(d)(i) of this section if division (A)(4)(d)(ii) of this section applies to the offender:
(i) The offense is a felony of the first or second degree that is an offense of violence and that is not described in division (A)(2)(a) or (b) of this section, an attempt to commit a felony of the first or second degree that is an offense of violence and that is not described in division (A)(2)(a) or (b) of this section if the attempt is a felony of the first or second degree, or an offense under an existing or former law of this state, another state, or the United States that is or was substantially equivalent to any other offense described in this division.
(ii) The offender previously was convicted of or pleaded guilty to any offense listed in division (A)(2) or (A)(4)(d)(i) of this section.
(5) "Sexually oriented offense" has the same meaning as in section 2950.01 of the Revised Code.
(B) The director of the department of rehabilitation and correction may recommend in writing to the sentencing court that the court consider releasing from prison any offender who, on or after September 30, 2011, is confined in a state correctional institution, who is serving a stated prison term of one year or more, and who is eligible under division (C) of this section for a release under this section. If the director wishes to recommend that the sentencing court consider releasing an offender under this section, the director shall notify the sentencing court in writing of the offender's eligibility not earlier than ninety days prior to the date on which the offender becomes eligible as described in division (C) of this section. The director's submission of the written notice constitutes a recommendation by the director that the court strongly consider release of the offender consistent with the purposes and principles of sentencing set forth in sections 2929.11 and 2929.13 of the Revised Code. Only an offender recommended by the director under division (B) of this section may be considered for early release under this section.
(C)
(1) An offender serving a stated prison term of one year or more and who has commenced service of that stated prison term becomes eligible for release from prison under this section only as described in this division. An offender serving a stated prison term that includes a disqualifying prison term is not eligible for release from prison under this section. An offender serving a stated prison term that consists solely of one or more restricting prison terms is not eligible for release under this section. An offender serving a stated prison term of one year or more that includes one or more restricting prison terms and one or more eligible prison terms becomes eligible for release under this section after having fully served all restricting prison terms and having served eighty per cent of the stated prison term that remains to be served after all restricting prison terms have been fully served. An offender serving a stated prison term that consists solely of one or more eligible prison terms becomes eligible for release under this section after having served eighty per cent of that stated prison term. For purposes of determining an offender's eligibility for release under this section, if the offender's stated prison term includes consecutive prison terms, any restricting prison terms shall be deemed served prior to any eligible prison terms that run consecutively to the restricting prison terms, and the eligible prison terms are deemed to commence after all of the restricting prison terms have been fully served.
An offender serving a stated prison term of one year or more that includes a mandatory prison term that is not a disqualifying prison term and is not a restricting prison term is not automatically ineligible as a result of the offender's service of that mandatory term for release from prison under this section, and the offender's eligibility for release from prison under this section is determined in accordance with this division.
(2) If an offender confined in a state correctional institution under a stated prison term is eligible for release under this section as described in division (C)(1) of this section, the director of the department of rehabilitation and correction may recommend in writing that the sentencing court consider releasing the offender from prison under this section by submitting to the sentencing court the written notice described in division (B) of this section.
(D) The director shall include with any notice submitted to the sentencing court under division (B) of this section an institutional summary report that covers the offender's participation while confined in a state correctional institution in school, training, work, treatment, and other rehabilitative activities and any disciplinary action taken against the offender while so confined. The director shall include with the notice any other documentation requested by the court, if available.
(E)
(1) When the director submits a written notice to a sentencing court that an offender is eligible to be considered for early release under this section, the department promptly shall provide to the prosecuting attorney of the county in which the offender was indicted a copy of the written notice, a copy of the institutional summary report, and any other information provided to the court and shall provide a copy of the institutional summary report to any law enforcement agency that requests the report. The department also promptly shall do whichever of the following is applicable:
(a) Subject to division (E)(1)(b) of this section, give written notice of the submission to any victim of the offender or victim's representative of any victim of the offender who is registered with the office of victim's services.
(b) If the offense was aggravated murder, murder, an offense of violence that is a felony of the first, second, or third degree, or an offense punished by a sentence of life imprisonment, except as otherwise provided in this division, notify the victim or the victim's representative of the filing of the petition regardless of whether the victim or victim's representative has registered with the office of victim's services. The notice of the filing of the petition shall not be given under this division to a victim or victim's representative if the victim or victim's representative has requested pursuant to division (B)(2) of section 2930.03 of the Revised Code that the victim or the victim's representative not be provided the notice. If notice is to be provided to a victim or victim's representative under this division, the department may give the notice by any reasonable means, including regular mail, telephone, and electronic mail, in accordance with division (D)(1) of section 2930.16 of the Revised Code. If the notice is based on an offense committed prior to the effective date of this amendment, the notice also shall include the opt-out information described in division (D)(1) of section 2930.16 of the Revised Code. The department, in accordance with division (D)(2) of section 2930.16 of the Revised Code, shall keep a record of all attempts to provide the notice, and of all notices provided, under this division.
Division (E)(1)(b) of this section, and the notice-related provisions of divisions (E)(2) and (K) of section 2929.20, division (D)(1) of section 2930.16, division (H) of section 2967.12, division (A)(3)(b) of section 2967.26, division (D)(1) of section 2967.28, and division (A)(2) of section 5149.101 of the Revised Code enacted in the act in which division (E)(2) of this section was enacted, shall be known as "Roberta's Law."
(2) When the director submits a petition under this section, the department also promptly shall post a copy of the written notice on the database it maintains under section 5120.66 of the Revised Code and include information on where a person may send comments regarding the recommendation of early release.
The information provided to the court, the prosecutor, and the victim or victim's representative under divisions (D) and (E) of this section shall include the name and contact information of a specific department of rehabilitation and correction employee who is available to answer questions about the offender who is the subject of the written notice submitted by the director, including, but not limited to, the offender's institutional conduct and rehabilitative activities while incarcerated.
(F) Upon receipt of a written notice submitted by the director under division (B) of this section, the court either shall, on its own motion, schedule a hearing to consider releasing the offender who is the subject of the notice or shall inform the department that it will not be conducting a hearing relative to the offender. The court shall not grant an early release to an offender without holding a hearing. If a court declines to hold a hearing relative to an offender with respect to a written notice submitted by the director, the court may later consider release of that offender under this section on its own motion by scheduling a hearing for that purpose. Within thirty days after the written notice is submitted, the court shall inform the department whether or not the court is scheduling a hearing on the offender who is the subject of the notice.
(G) If the court schedules a hearing upon receiving a written notice submitted under division (B) of this section or upon its own motion under division (F) of this section, the court shall notify the head of the state correctional institution in which the offender is confined of the hearing prior to the hearing. If the court makes a journal entry ordering the offender to be conveyed to the hearing, except as otherwise provided in this division, the head of the correctional institution shall deliver the offender to the sheriff of the county in which the hearing is to be held, and the sheriff shall convey the offender to and from the hearing. Upon the court's own motion or the motion of the offender or the prosecuting attorney of the county in which the offender was indicted, the court may permit the offender to appear at the hearing by video conferencing equipment if equipment of that nature is available and compatible.
Upon receipt of notice from a court of a hearing on the release of an offender under this division, the head of the state correctional institution in which the offender is confined immediately shall notify the appropriate person at the department of rehabilitation and correction of the hearing, and the department within twenty-four hours after receipt of the notice shall post on the database it maintains pursuant to section 5120.66 of the Revised Code the offender's name and all of the information specified in division (A)(1)(c)(i) of that section. If the court schedules a hearing under this section, the court promptly shall give notice of the hearing to the prosecuting attorney of the county in which the offender was indicted. Upon receipt of the notice from the court, the prosecuting attorney shall notify pursuant to section 2930.16 of the Revised Code any victim of the offender or the victim's representative of the hearing.
(H) If the court schedules a hearing under this section, at the hearing, the court shall afford the offender and the offender's attorney an opportunity to present written information and, if present, oral information relevant to the offender's early release. The court shall afford a similar opportunity to the prosecuting attorney, victim or victim's representative, as defined in section 2930.01 of the Revised Code, and any other person the court determines is likely to present additional relevant information. If the court pursuant to division (G) of this section permits the offender to appear at the hearing by video conferencing equipment, the offender's opportunity to present oral information shall be as a part of the video conferencing. The court shall consider any statement of a victim made under section 2930.14 or 2930.17 of the Revised Code, any victim impact statement prepared under section 2947.051 of the Revised Code, and any report and other documentation submitted by the director under division (D) of this section. After ruling on whether to grant the offender early release, the court shall notify the victim in accordance with sections 2930.03 and 2930.16 of the Revised Code.
(I) If the court grants an offender early release under this section, it shall order the release of the offender, shall place the offender under one or more appropriate community control sanctions, under appropriate conditions, and under the supervision of the department of probation that serves the court, and shall reserve the right to reimpose the sentence that it reduced and from which the offender was released if the offender violates the sanction. The court shall not make a release under this section effective prior to the date on which the offender becomes eligible as described in division (C) of this section. If the sentence under which the offender is confined in a state correctional institution and from which the offender is being released was imposed for a felony of the first or second degree, the court shall consider ordering that the offender be monitored by means of a global positioning device. If the court reimposes the sentence that it reduced and from which the offender was released and if the violation of the sanction is a new offense, the court may order that the reimposed sentence be served either concurrently with, or consecutive to, any new sentence imposed upon the offender as a result of the violation that is a new offense. The period of all community control sanctions imposed under this division shall not exceed five years. The court, in its discretion, may reduce the period of community control sanctions by the amount of time the offender spent in jail or prison for the offense.
If the court grants an offender early release under this section, it shall notify the appropriate person at the department of rehabilitation and correction of the release, and the department shall post notice of the release on the database it maintains pursuant to section 5120.66 of the Revised Code.
(J) The department shall adopt under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code any rules necessary to implement this section.
Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.178, SB 160, §1, eff. 3/22/2013.
Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.127, HB 487, §101.01, eff. 9/10/2012.
Added by 129th General AssemblyFile No.29, HB 86, §1, eff. 9/30/2011.
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