H.B. No. 502 Summary

• Amends section 5120.10 and enacts section 5120.101 of the Revised Code to establish jail reform procedures related to Ohio's Minimum Standards for Jails.

• Requires the Director of Rehabilitation and Correction to send written notice of noncompliance to jails that fail inspections, specifying areas of noncompliance and compliance deadlines set by rule, with contact information for department staff and outside corrections experts.

• Establishes an attorney general whistleblower hotline for jail employees and workers to anonymously report conditions that violate minimum standards, with whistleblower protections against disciplinary action or retaliation by jail operators.

• Authorizes the director to appoint outside corrections experts to assist noncompliant jails in remediation and to initiate court actions seeking injunctions, temporary suspension, or closure of jails that fail to achieve compliance within specified timeframes.

• Creates a five-member Jail System Improvement Study Commission consisting of legislative appointees and a gubernatorial appointee to study all aspects of Ohio jails and submit recommendations within nine months of the last appointment.