(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, State Senator Jim Hughes (R-Columbus), and Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien are urging support for the Violent Career Criminal Act, which was introduced this General Assembly as Senate Bill 97. Sponsored by Senators Hughes and Frank LaRose (R-Copley), the legislation would add additional prison time for repeat violent offenders, the group which a study concluded committed the majority of violent crimes in Ohio.
“A very small percentage of repeat offenders are responsible for most violent crimes,” said Attorney General DeWine. "Regardless of where that violent crime takes place, we are determined to target this small group that commits a disproportionate number of crimes and prevent them from victimizing more Ohio families.”
“Senate Bill 97 gives us the tools we need to reduce gun crimes by cracking down on violent, repeat offenders. It is imperative that we do everything we can to defend the most vulnerable members of society from violent crime," said Senator Hughes.
“Senate Bill 97 would target repeat violent offenders and reduce gun crime by the worst of the worst in our society. This bill represents an important step in removing these offenders from our streets so that we can keep our neighborhoods safe without infringing on the rights of law-abiding gun owners,” said Senator LaRose.
The Violent Career Criminal Act would classify any adult who has been convicted of at least two violent felonies as a “Violent Career Criminal.” If a Violent Career Criminal commits an additional felony, the legislation would require the defendant to be sentenced to an additional 2 to 11 years of mandatory prison time upon the discretion of the sentencing judge. The legislation would also increase prison time for crimes with gun specifications by an additional 50%.
Attorney General DeWine formed the Violent Crimes with Guns Advisory Group in 2011 to study the problem of gun violence in Ohio and provide guidance to law enforcement and the legislature on how to best prevent gun crimes.
The group commissioned Ohio State University researcher Deanna Wilkinson, Ph.D., to conduct an in-depth study of Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and BCI data from 1974 to 2010. The study found that people with two or more violent felony offenses, who make up only .91% of Ohio's adult population, are responsible for 57% of Ohio's violent felony convictions.
The study also found that nearly 56% of all of Ohio's violent felony convictions happened in Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Summit, and Franklin counties. Those counties, along with Montgomery, Stark, Lucas, Lorain, Butler, Lake, Clark, and Mahoning counties, account for 83% of violent crime.
In addition to the Violent Career Criminal Act, the work of the advisory group also led to the creation of Attorney General DeWine’s Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, which works with potential repeat offenders to prevent crimes before they are committed. Currently, the Safe Neighborhoods Initiative is operating in Akron, Ashtabula, Fostoria, Fremont, Hamilton, Lima, Sandusky, Steubenville, and Warren.
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Media Contacts:
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