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ORC 2967.16 — the rights restored at the end of a sentence
The vote. A person convicted of a felony is incompetent to be an elector, and the same section makes the person competent to be an elector again when granted parole, judicial release or a conditional pardon, or released under a non jail community control sanction or a post release control sanction, during that period and after final discharge. Voting after a conviction has its own page.
Identification before release. Within nine months before release from a state correctional institution, for a prisoner serving a sentence of more than one year, or within a reasonable time for a shorter sentence, the department attempts to verify the prisoner's age and identity. A prisoner without a current, valid state identification card or driver's license is given the application for an identification card, and the department submits the completed application, a color photograph and documentary evidence of age and identity to the registrar of motor vehicles.
Rights restored. A prisoner who served the entire prison term and was not placed under post release control, a prisoner granted a final release or a termination of post release control, and a person who completed a community control sanction are restored to the rights and privileges forfeited by the conviction. The exception is the privilege of holding a position of honor, trust or profit, which is not restored for the felonies the section lists.
A certificate of achievement and employability. A prisoner who has completed approved vocational and cognitive or behavioral programs and community service hours, and shows other evidence of achievement and rehabilitation, may apply to the department from one year before the scheduled release date up to the date of release, or to the adult parole authority at any time while on parole or post release control. The certificate grants relief from the mandatory civil impacts named in the application that would affect a job in the field the prisoner trained in. Some mandatory civil impacts are excepted by the section, and no certificate reaches them.
A certificate of qualification for employment lifts the automatic bar of a collateral sanction, a penalty or disadvantage related to employment or occupational licensing that applies by operation of law because of a conviction, and a decision maker then considers the license or job case by case. It has its own page, with the rest of working with a record, and so does sealing a record.
Driver license suspensions and their reinstatement, the registrar's own requirements, housing and benefits on release, and the department's reentry programs are not on this page. Whether a particular right has come back is a question for a licensed Ohio attorney, and a county board of elections answers registration questions.
Sources for this section (5)
- ORC 2967.16 — Final release, termination of post release control, and the rights restored
- ORC 2961.01 — Forfeiture of rights on a felony conviction, and when the right to vote comes back
- ORC 5120.59 — Verifying a prisoner's identity before release
- ORC 2961.22 — Certificate of achievement and employability
- ORC 2953.25 — The certificate of qualification for employment, for a person subject to a collateral sanction
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Ohio attorney.