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Attorney General Mike DeWine
Violent Career
Criminal Act signed into law
(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today praised a new
law that increases prison time for violent offenders who repeatedly
commit crimes in Ohio.
Senate Bill 97, known as the Violent Career Criminal Act, was signed
into law today by Ohio Governor John Kasich.
The new law now classifies anyone who has committed two or more violent
felony offenses as a violent career criminal. If a violent career
criminal is convicted of committing an additional violent felony
offense while using a firearm, the new law now requires that offender
to be sentenced to a mandatory two to 11 years in prison in addition to
the sentence for the underlying crime.
The law also enhances gun specification penalties by 50 percent.
"The ultimate goal of this law is to protect Ohio families and reduce
crime across the state. I hope that the threat of additional prison
time will make offenders think twice about committing another violent
crime, and those who do will pay the price," said Attorney General
DeWine.
The Violent Career Criminal Act was sponsored by Senators Jim Hughes
(R-Columbus) and Frank LaRose (R-Copley). The bill was drafted
after a study commissioned by Attorney General DeWine's Violent Crimes
with Guns Advisory Group found that people with two or more violent
felony offenses, who make up only .91 percent of Ohio's adult
population, are responsible for 57 percent of Ohio's violent felony
convictions.
The study, which was based on 1974-2010 data from the Ohio Department
of Rehabilitation and Correction and Bureau of Criminal Investigation
and conducted by Ohio State University researcher Deanna Wilkinson,
Ph.D, also found that nearly 56 percent 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, accounted for 83 percent of
violent crime.
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