Ohio lawmakers introduce legislation to tighten bail requirements after a Cincinnati incident

Two Ohio lawmakers introduced a bill to reform bail requirements to better protect the public from violent offenders and repeat offenders who fail to appear in court.

State Reps. D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, and Jeff LaRe, R-Violet Twp., named the Ohio Holly Act in honor of Holly, a victim of a violent assault that happened on July 26, 2025, in Cincinnati, who was present at the event and spoke about her being badly injured by being knocked out, according to the Statehouse News Bureau.

Holly identifies only by her first name to avoid the continuation of threats she’s been receiving after saying that one of her attackers had been released on bail just two weeks earlier after indictment on serious charges, including illegal possession of a firearm, the news source reported.

“This is about balance,” she told the Bureau. “It is about protecting the rights of the accused while also protecting the public, protecting you and your loved ones. Public safety must always come first.”

According to a news release, the bill would require judges to use risk assessment tools to evaluate a violent offender’s likelihood of reoffending or causing serious physical harm to another person or the community before setting bail conditions.

The bill would prohibit release on personal recognizance and bar posting less than 25% of the bond in cash if a defendant fails to appear on their current charge or respond to two or more summonses in the last five years.

Statehouse News Bureau reported that the legislation would impose restrictions on charitable bail organizations, prohibiting nonprofits from posting bail for violent offenses, capping the amount such organizations can contribute at $5,000, and requiring annual reporting for transparency.

“The focus of this bill is on offenders who have a violent propensity and ensuring they don’t cause more harm to our communities by being released on bail,” Swearingen said in the release.

He also told the Bureau that “the goal here is to allow the judges to identify key components of defendants that make them a threat to public safety,” adding that the lawmakers “want to work with them to do that.”

“We’re not trying to overreach or micromanage them in any way. We do want the public to be safe,” he told the news source.

LaRe agreed with Swearingen, saying in the release that the bill “strengthens accountability in our bail system, enhances public safety, and ensures our courts have a clear, workable standard.”

“The bill does not eliminate judicial discretion, does not upend our bail system. What it does is reinforce accountability, transparency, and public safety while maintaining constitutional protections,” he told the Bureau.

President of Americans for Public Safety, Justin Keener, supported the legislation, saying in the release that the bill will “protect innocent victims from dangerous individuals released on bond, while ensuring due process for the accused,” by making “flight and public safety risk in bond decisions” a priority.

“If these reforms are adopted, Ohio will become a clear national leader in enhancing victims’ rights and their safety,” he said.

Director of Victim Services for Houston Crime Stoppers, Andy Kahan, also said in the release that the bill is not about “punishment before conviction,” but about “prevention before a tragedy.”

“It’s about restoring faith in our justice system, based upon risk to public safety, risk to the victim, and risk to reoffend while on bond,” he said in the release. “Once Texas passed similar legislation, we saw a dramatic drop in the number of people murdered, raped, and robbed by violent defendants who previously would have been released on bond.”