The Human Trafficking Prevention Act aims to strengthen penalties for human trafficking offenses, particularly those involving minors and individuals with developmental disabilities. Key amendments include increasing the penalties for kidnapping and abduction, classifying violations involving sexual activity or involuntary servitude as first-degree felonies with a minimum sentence of twenty-five years to life imprisonment. The bill also raises the age of a victim in kidnapping cases from thirteen to eighteen and introduces new terms such as "indefinite prison term," establishing harsher penalties for trafficking offenses. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of considering the victim's circumstances, such as age and mental capacity, when determining the severity of the offense.

The legislation further modifies sentencing guidelines for violent sex offenses, mandating life imprisonment without parole for offenders who meet sexually violent predator specifications. It increases minimum terms for certain offenses, such as raising the minimum term for kidnapping a victim under eighteen from thirteen to eighteen years, and for certain rape offenses from fifteen to twenty-five years. The bill also classifies offenders convicted of violent sex offenses as tier III sex offenders/child-victim offenders and stipulates that minimum terms for multiple offenses will be served consecutively. Furthermore, it allows for parole eligibility for offenders sentenced to life without parole for crimes committed when they were under eighteen, while repealing existing sections of the Revised Code to consolidate the legal framework under the new act.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 2903.41, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.32, 2971.03