The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio HB 501 Modifies and Renames Wrongful Imprisonment Law to Wrongful Incarceration
Last action · October 8, 2025: Referred to JudiciarySponsors: Josh Williams and 5 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
Ohio House Bill 501 modifies statutory provisions governing compensation and procedures for individuals whose criminal convictions are overturned, formally renaming the framework from wrongful imprisonment to wrongful incarceration. The measure details exact calculation metrics, inflation adjustments by the auditor of state, debt deductions, and reimbursement requirements if a claimant later receives civil rights settlements or is re-convicted.
The legislation alters the legal mechanisms, financial recovery calculations, and offset obligations for individuals seeking state compensation after having a criminal conviction vacated or dismissed.
- House Bill 501 is introduced in the 136th General Assembly of Ohio during the 2025-2026 session. context
- Ohio's wrongful imprisonment statutes govern the process by which individuals exonerated after serving prison time can seek financial compensation from the state through the Court of Claims. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Wrongfully Incarcerated Individuals
Their legal claims, compensation calculation methods, deduction requirements, and repayment obligations under state law are modified by the bill.
Auditor of State
The auditor is mandated to calculate biennial inflation adjustments and transmit a public report to the general assembly and court of claims.
Court of Claims
The court handles exclusive original jurisdiction for civil actions, issues judgments, and enforces statutory deductions and reimbursements.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main purpose of House Bill 501?
Who determines whether an individual is a wrongfully incarcerated person?
What compensation is an eligible individual entitled to receive?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Oct 8, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to Judiciary
- Oct 7, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 1 more sponsor
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Renaming of Legal Framework
The bill systematically replaces all occurrences of 'wrongfully imprisoned' and 'wrongful imprisonment' with 'wrongfully incarcerated' and 'wrongful incarceration' across multiple sections of the Revised Code.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools