Terms Used In Ohio Code > Chapter 2971 - Sentencing of Sexually Violent Predators

• Another: when used to designate the owner of property which is the subject of an offense, includes not only natural persons but also every other owner of property. See Ohio Code 1.02
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• imprisonment: means being imprisoned under a sentence imposed for an offense or serving a term of imprisonment, prison term, jail term, term of local incarceration, or other term under a sentence imposed for an offense in an institution under the control of the department of rehabilitation and correction, a county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, a minimum security jail, a community-based correctional facility, or another facility described or referred to in section 2929. See Ohio Code 1.05
• in writing: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols, or figures; this provision does not affect any law relating to signatures. See Ohio Code 1.59
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Prosecuting attorney: means the prosecuting attorney who prosecuted the case of the offender in question or the successor in office to that prosecuting attorney. See Ohio Code 2971.01
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Sexual motivation: means a purpose to gratify the sexual needs or desires of the offender. See Ohio Code 2971.01
• Sexual motivation specification: means a specification, as described in section 2941. See Ohio Code 2971.01
• Sexually violent offense: means any of the following:

  (1) A violent sex offense;

  (2) A designated homicide, assault, or kidnapping offense that the offender commits with a sexual motivation. See Ohio Code 2971.01

• Sexually violent predator: means a person who, on or after January 1, 1997, commits a sexually violent offense and is likely to engage in the future in one or more sexually violent offenses. See Ohio Code 2971.01
• Sexually violent predator specification: means a specification, as described in section 2941. See Ohio Code 2971.01
• state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
• United States: includes all the states. See Ohio Code 1.59
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Violent sex offense: means any of the following:

  (1) A violation of section 2907. See Ohio Code 2971.01