Ohio is poised to toughen the penalties for third-degree felony domestic violence convictions starting next year, after the legislature unanimously sent Gov. Mike DeWine a bill on Wednesday increasing the sentencing range for the offenses under certain circumstances.
Current law prescribes anywhere between nine and 36-month prison sentences for third-degree felony domestic violence, but House Bill 111 increases sentences to between 12 and 60 months. HB 111, introduced by Reps. Jeff LaRe (R-Violet Twp.) and Kevin Miller (R-Newark), also creates presumptive prison terms for those with prior convictions—meaning jail time becomes the recommended standard.
Domestic violence rises to the level of a third-degree felony if a person already has two or more prior convictions. Under HB 111, that person would also face mandatory prison time if their victim was pregnant during the incident and the perpetrator either knew, should have known, or caused physical harm to the victim’s unborn child.
It cleared the House unanimously in December 2023. Sen. Nathan Manning, a Republican, said Wednesday on the Senate floor he’s usually wary of increasing penalties in the Ohio Revised Code.
“I did talk to a lot of very pragmatic prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys,” Manning said. “Even drafted a few amendments. But after talking to everybody, I think this is a really common sense change. It really just gives that flexibility to the judge.”
Victims advocate associations, like the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN), and lobbyists for prosecutors were pushing for HB 111 during the legislative process.
“A presumption of prison time can provide victims of domestic violence with the valuable gift of time to work with their local programs and shelters to establish long-term safety plans, particularly around financial security and safe housing,” Lisa DeGeeter, ODVN senior director of policy and prevention, testified in May.
ODVN statistics from October showed that at least 114 Ohioans died in domestic incidents between July 2023 and June, consistent with the prior period, which saw 112.
DeWine’s spokesperson indicated he’s likely to sign the bill, pointing to his prior backing of legislative protections against domestic violence.
