New hazing penalties could hobble immature adults for life

[ASTalumna06]

https://news.yahoo.com/hazing-penalt...183200378.html

Jun. 13—COLUMBUS — Legislation requiring tougher penalties after hazing-related injury and death on college campuses could make convicted felons of students whose brains are not yet fully developed, the Ohio Public Defender's office has argued.
.....
The committee is considering House Bill 205, sponsored by state Reps. Haraz Ghanbari (R., Bowling Green) and Mike Sheehy (D., Oregon). It would increase the general offense of hazing from a fourth-degree to a second-degree misdemeanor, the latter carrying up to 90 days in jail.

It would also create a new third-degree felony when the hazing involves recklessly coercing another into consuming alcohol or drugs, leading to physical harm. That charge could carry up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The bill and another measure carrying different penalties in the Senate would be named for Collin Wiant, an 18-year-old Ohio University student from Dublin, Ohio, who died of asphyxiation in 2018 after inhaling a canister of nitrous oxide during a fraternity ritual.

Further fueling the call for stiffer penalties was the early March death of Stone Foltz, 20, of Delaware, Ohio, who died from alcohol poisoning following a fraternity event at Bowling Green State University during which pledges were expected to consume large amounts of alcohol.