To amend section 2919.24 of the Revised Code to create the offense of neglect of parental duties.
Summary
HB655 would amend Ohio Revised Code section 2919.24, which currently addresses contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a child, to add a new offense called “neglect of parental duties.” The bill keeps the existing prohibition on aiding or encouraging a child to become unruly or delinquent, but it expands the statute to cover parents, guardians, or custodians who fail to take reasonable steps to prevent further unruly or delinquent conduct by a child who has already been adjudicated, or who recklessly fail to prevent habitual truancy or to ensure compliance with juvenile or domestic relations court orders.
Under the proposal, the new offense would generally be a first-degree misdemeanor, but it would become a fifth-degree felony for repeat offenders who have previously been convicted of or pleaded guilty to the same conduct. In all cases involving the new neglect-of-parental-duties offense, the court would also be required to order completion of a parenting class. The bill also preserves the existing first-degree misdemeanor penalties for conduct that contributes to a child’s unruliness or delinquency, and it repeals the current version of section 2919.24 so the statute can be rewritten with the new offense structure.
Impact
HB655 would broaden Ohio criminal law by creating a new parental-offense category tied to a child’s delinquent, unruly, or truant behavior and to noncompliance with juvenile or domestic relations court orders. It would affect parents, guardians, and custodians by imposing criminal liability not only for active encouragement of misconduct, but also for certain failures to act, including failure to prevent repeat misconduct or habitual truancy. The bill would also add mandatory parenting-class sanctions and escalate penalties for repeat violations, while leaving the existing contributing-to-the-unruliness-or-delinquency offense in place within the revised statute.
Sentiment
The bill appears to be in an early, introduced stage and there is no recorded committee testimony or vote history in the provided materials, so there is no clear evidence of formal support or opposition from the legislative record included here. Based on the text alone, the bill reflects a punitive but also corrective approach, pairing criminal penalties with required parenting education. The absence of recorded debate makes the overall sentiment difficult to gauge beyond the fact that the proposal was introduced and referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
Contention
The likely point of contention is the expansion of criminal liability to parents and caregivers for omissions or failures to control a child’s behavior, especially the new standard for recklessly failing to prevent habitual truancy or ensure compliance with court orders. Critics could view this as overcriminalizing family discipline issues or imposing liability for conduct that may be difficult to control, while supporters may argue it gives courts a stronger tool to address chronic truancy and repeat juvenile offending. The felony enhancement for repeat violations may also be controversial because it increases the stakes for parents already struggling with a child’s behavior.
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