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S.B. 270 would raise felony‑delinquent age to 14, set minimum confinement terms to age‑based categories
Summary
Senators Manning and Hicks‑Hudson introduced S.B. 270 in the 136th General Assembly to amend multiple sections of the Ohio Revised Code governing commitment of delinquent children to the Department of Youth Services, including raising the statutory minimum age for felony delinquency and specifying minimum institutionalization periods by offense.
Senators Jon Manning and Teresa Fedor Hicks‑Hudson introduced Senate Bill 270 in the 136th General Assembly (2025‑2026 session), proposing wide revisions to state law that govern when and how juvenile offenders may be placed in the legal custody of the Department of Youth Services. The bill changes the statutory definition of a "felony delinquent," alters minimum institutionalization periods tied to offense categories and expands certain mandatory minimums.
The bill replaces the current age language so that a "felony delinquent" is a child who is "at least fourteen years of age but less than eighteen years of age," where current law lists a lower threshold. It also specifies minimum confinement periods that a juvenile court may impose when committing a child to the department: for acts that would be aggravated murder or murder, confinement is ordered "until the offender attains twenty‑one years of age"; for violations involving attempts to commit aggravated murder or murder, the court may set a minimum period of six to seven years and a maximum up to the child's 21st birthday; for certain sexual‑offense categories the court prescribes an indefinite term with a minimum of one to three years and a maximum not to exceed attainment of age 21; for first‑ or second‑degree felonies, an indefinite term with a minimum of one year and a maximum until age 21; and for specified lower‑level felonies or a violation of division (A) of section 2923.211, a minimum period of six months up to attainment of age 21.
The bill retains the general structure that any commitment's total cannot extend beyond the child's 21st birthday and keeps court control over movements to nonsecure settings during prescribed minimums. It also preserves provisions that permit aggregate, consecutive commitments for multiple offenses. The text of S.B. 270 amends sections across Chapters 2152 and 5139 of the Revised Code, notably sections 2152.16, 2152.17, 2152.19 and related sections that govern dispositions, sanctions, and institutional placement.
As introduced, S.B. 270 remains a legislative proposal. It must be reported out of committee and receive votes in the Ohio Senate and House before becoming law. The bill text also contains specific cross‑references (for example, to sections in Chapter 2941 and to other numbered sections of Chapters 2151, 2152 and 5139) that affect how specifications and consecutive terms would be applied under existing adult‑code analogues.
