House Bill 86 expands what it means to be an "eligible offender" for the purposes of judicial release. Previous to when H.B. 86 will take effect, an "eligible offender" was one that was serving a "stated prison term" of ten years or less. Anyone that was sentenced to an aggregate prison term of more than ten years was just not eligible for judicial release.
House Bill 86 changes that and makes most inmates eligible for judicial release. You are not eligible for judicial release if all of your prison time is mandatory time or if you held public office when you committed certain felony offenses. But for other inmates, judicial release is possible.
Amendments to Section 2929.20 indicate when an inmate may file a motion for judicial release. There are guidelines for those serving less than two years of non-mandatory time, two years to less than five years of non-mandatory time, five years of non-mandatory time, more than five years but not more than ten years of non-mandatory time, and even for those whose non-mandatory time is more than ten years. You may want to consult a lawyer before making a motion for judicial release.
If you are accused of a crime or have been convicted already, contact me if you can afford to hire a private criminal defense lawyer. Otherwise, contact your county or state public defender to see if they can help.
