To amend section 2743.48 and to enact sections 117.52 and 2743.49 of the Revised Code to increase the amount that a wrongfully imprisoned individual, in an action brought in the Court of Claims, is entitled to for each year of imprisonment, to provide for cost of living adjustments of that amount by the Auditor of State, and to allow the wrongfully imprisoned individual to recover any cost debts the wrongfully imprisoned individual paid the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction while in its custody or under its supervision.

Section 1. That section 2743.48 be amended and sections 117.52 and 2743.49 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 117.52. The auditor of state shall make the adjustment, as described in section 2743.49 of the Revised Code, of the amount that a wrongfully imprisoned individual, in an action brought in the court of claims pursuant to section 2743.48 of the Revised Code, may receive for each full year or part of a year of imprisonment and shall perform all of the functions relating to that adjustment as specified in section 2743.49 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 2743.48.  (A) As used in this section and section 2743.49 of the Revised Code, a "wrongfully imprisoned individual" means an individual who satisfies each of the following:

(1) He The individual was charged with a violation of a section of the Revised Code by an indictment or information prior to, or on or after, September 24, 1986, and the violation charged was an aggravated felony or felony.

(2) He The individual was found guilty of, but did not plead guilty to, the particular charge or a lesser-included offense by the court or jury involved, and the offense of which he the individual was found guilty was an aggravated felony or felony.

(3) He The individual was sentenced to an indefinite or definite term of imprisonment in a state correctional institution for the offense of which he the individual was found guilty.

(4) The individual's conviction was vacated or was dismissed, or reversed on appeal, the prosecuting attorney in the case cannot or will not seek any further appeal of right or upon leave of court, and no criminal proceeding is pending, can be brought, or will be brought by any prosecuting attorney, city director of law, village solicitor, or other chief legal officer of a municipal corporation against the individual for any act associated with that conviction.

(5) Subsequent to his sentencing and during or subsequent to his imprisonment, an error in procedure resulted in the individual's release, or it was determined by a court of common pleas that the offense of which he the individual was found guilty, including all lesser-included offenses, either was not committed by him the individual or was not committed by any person.

(B)(1) When a court of common pleas determines, on or after September 24, 1986, that a person is a wrongfully imprisoned individual, the court shall provide the person with a copy of this section and orally inform him the person and his the person's attorney of his the person's rights under this section to commence a civil action against the state in the court of claims because of his the person's wrongful imprisonment and to be represented in that civil action by counsel of his the person's own choice.

(2) The court described in division (B)(1) of this section shall notify the clerk of the court of claims, in writing and within seven days after the date of the entry of its determination that the person is a wrongfully imprisoned individual, of the name and proposed mailing address of the person and of the fact that the person has the rights to commence a civil action and to have legal representation as provided in this section. The clerk of the court of claims shall maintain in his the clerk's office a list of wrongfully imprisoned individuals for whom notices are received under this section and shall create files in his the clerk's office for each such individual.

(C)(1) In a civil action under this section, a wrongfully imprisoned individual has the right to have counsel of his the individual's own choice.

(2) If a wrongfully imprisoned individual who is the subject of a court determination as described in division (B)(1) of this section does not commence a civil action under this section within six months after the entry of that determination, the clerk of the court of claims shall send a letter to him the wrongfully imprisoned individual, at the address set forth in the notice received from the court of common pleas pursuant to division (B)(2) of this section or to any later address provided by the wrongfully imprisoned individual, that reminds him the wrongfully imprisoned individual of his the wrongfully imprisoned individual's rights under this section. Until the statute of limitations provided in division (H) of this section expires and unless the wrongfully imprisoned individual commences a civil action under this section, the clerk of the court of claims shall send a similar letter in a similar manner to him the wrongfully imprisoned individual at least once each three months after the sending of the first reminder.

(D) Notwithstanding any provisions of this chapter to the contrary, a wrongfully imprisoned individual has and may file a civil action against the state, in the court of claims, to recover a sum of money as described in this section, because of his the individual's wrongful imprisonment. The court of claims shall have exclusive, original jurisdiction over such a civil action. The civil action shall proceed, be heard, and be determined as provided in sections 2743.01 to 2743.20 of the Revised Code, except that if a provision of this section conflicts with a provision in any of those sections, the provision in this section controls.

(E)(1) In a civil action as described in division (D) of this section, the complainant may establish that he the claimant is a wrongfully imprisoned individual by submitting to the court of claims a certified copy of the judgment entry of the court of common pleas associated with his the claimant's conviction and sentencing, and a certified copy of the entry of the determination of a court of common pleas that he the claimant is a wrongfully imprisoned individual. No other evidence shall be required of the complainant to establish that he the claimant is a wrongfully imprisoned individual, and he the claimant shall be irrebuttably presumed to be a wrongfully imprisoned individual.

(2) In a civil action as described in division (D) of this section, upon presentation of requisite proof to the court, a wrongfully imprisoned individual is entitled to receive a sum of money that equals the total of each of the following amounts:

(a) The amount of any fine or court costs imposed and paid, and the reasonable attorney's fees and other expenses incurred by the wrongfully imprisoned individual in connection with all associated criminal proceedings and appeals, and, if applicable, in connection with obtaining his the wrongfully imprisoned individual's discharge from confinement in the state penal or reformatory correctional institution;

(b) For each full year that he was imprisoned of imprisonment in the state correctional institution for the offense of which he the wrongfully imprisoned individual was found guilty, twenty-five forty thousand three hundred thirty dollars or the adjusted amount determined by the auditor of state pursuant to section 2743.49 of the Revised Code, and for each part of a year that he was of being so imprisoned, a pro-rated share of twenty-five forty thousand three hundred thirty dollars or the adjusted amount determined by the auditor of state pursuant to section 2743.49 of the Revised Code;

(c) Any loss of wages, salary, or other earned income that directly resulted from his the wrongfully imprisoned individual's arrest, prosecution, conviction, and wrongful imprisonment;

(d) The amount of the following cost debts the department of rehabilitation and correction recovered from the wrongfully imprisoned individual who was in custody of the department or under the department's supervision:

(i) Any user fee or copayment for services at a detention facility, including, but not limited to, a fee or copayment for sick call visits;

(ii) The cost of housing and feeding the wrongfully imprisoned individual in a detention facility;

(iii) The cost of supervision of the wrongfully imprisoned individual;

(iv) The cost of any ancillary services provided to the wrongfully imprisoned individual.

(F)(1) If the court of claims determines in a civil action as described in division (D) of this section that the complainant is a wrongfully imprisoned individual, it shall enter judgment for the wrongfully imprisoned individual in the amount of the sum of money to which he the wrongfully imprisoned individual is entitled under division (E)(2) of this section. In determining that sum, the court of claims shall not take into consideration any expenses incurred by the state or any of its political subdivisions in connection with the arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment of the wrongfully imprisoned individual, including, but not limited to, expenses for food, clothing, shelter, and medical services.

(2) If the wrongfully imprisoned individual was represented in the civil action under this section by counsel of his the wrongfully imprisoned individual's own choice, the court of claims shall include in the judgment entry referred to in division (F)(1) of this section an award for the reasonable attorney's fees of that counsel. These fees shall be paid as provided in division (G) of this section.

(3) The state consents to be sued by a wrongfully imprisoned individual because his the imprisonment was wrongful, and to liability on its part because of that fact, only as provided in this section. However, this section does not affect any liability of the state or of its employees to a wrongfully imprisoned individual on a claim for relief that is not based on the fact of his the wrongful imprisonment, including, but not limited to, a claim for relief that arises out of circumstances occurring during his the wrongfully imprisoned individual's confinement in the state correctional institution.

(G) The clerk of the court of claims shall forward a certified copy of a judgment under division (F) of this section to the president of the controlling board. The board shall take all actions necessary to cause the payment of the judgment out of the emergency purposes special purpose account of the board.

(H) To be eligible to recover a sum of money as described in this section because of his wrongful imprisonment, a wrongfully imprisoned individual shall not have been, prior to September 24, 1986, the subject of an act of the general assembly that authorized an award of compensation for his the wrongful imprisonment or have been the subject of an action before the former sundry claims board that resulted in an award of compensation for his the wrongful imprisonment. Additionally, to be eligible to so recover, the wrongfully imprisoned individual shall commence a civil action under this section in the court of claims no later than two years after the date of the entry of the determination of a court of common pleas that he the individual is a wrongfully imprisoned individual.

Section 2. That existing section 2743.48 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.

Section 3. Sections 117.52, 2743.48, and 2743.49 of the Revised Code, as amended or enacted by this act, apply to civil actions for wrongful imprisonment in the Court of Claims commenced on or after the effective date of this act, or commenced prior to and pending on the effective date of this act.