Jackson Pike Jail

There are two corrections centers. The James A. Karnes Corrections Center is at 2551 Fisher Road, and Correctional Center II is at 2460 Jackson Pike. The Sheriff's main office is downtown at 373 S. High Street, 614-525-3333.

The Franklin County Inmate Search shows each current inmate, the charges, the case numbers, the visiting location, and the next court date. To ask a person on the phone, the prisoner information line is 614-525-3340.

Yes, in many cases. Two live-agent kiosks at the Karnes center are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You scan a government photo ID, connect by audio and video to a deputy clerk, review the bond contract, and sign on the screen. The documents are emailed to the corrections facility.

The kiosks take credit cards or cash. A cash bond is the full amount plus state fees. An appearance bond is 10 percent of the bond amount plus state fees.

Franklin County Municipal Court uses a standard schedule for most misdemeanors when a judge has not set an amount. For Ohio residents: $500 for an unclassified or first-degree misdemeanor, $400 for a second-degree, $300 for a third-degree, $200 for a fourth-degree, and $100 for a minor misdemeanor.

Residents may use cash, surety, or appearance bonds.

Non-residents face higher figures: $2,000 for an unclassified or first-degree misdemeanor, $1,500 for a second-degree, $1,000 for a third-degree, $500 for a fourth-degree, and $100 for a minor misdemeanor. Only cash or surety bonds are allowed.

A non-resident who shows the Clerk proof of being a student or having a job in Ohio is released at the resident amounts.

The standard schedule leaves out certain cases, including domestic violence, assault, menacing by stalking, sexually oriented offenses, and certain OVI charges. A judge sets the amount for those.

Even for scheduled charges, the schedule applies only unless a judge sets a different amount.

The Clerk's Office is in the Municipal Court Building, 375 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215. The Criminal/Traffic Division answers at 614-645-8186, and Criminal/Traffic Accounting at 614-645-6903. Clerk administration is 614-645-8006 and keeps hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.

The Clerk processes prisoner release transactions twenty-four hours a day.

Felony cases belong to the Court of Common Pleas. The Clerk of Courts is at 373 S. High Street, 614-525-3600, and General Division payments, including bonds, are taken at 345 South High Street, 1st Floor. Accepted forms are cash, money orders, and cashier's checks. Criminal payments may also be made by certified check payable to the Franklin County Clerk of Courts.

Confirm which address and window the clerk wants before you travel. Bond refunds are mailed after the court approves them.

Surety: you pay a bonding agent a 10 percent fee that is not refunded, and the agent pays the state fees. Cash: the full amount plus state fees, and the amount comes back if every date is attended, but the state fees do not. Appearance: 10 percent plus state fees paid directly to the court, with 90 percent of the deposit returned. Recognizance: the person is released on a signature with no payment.

A person who skips court after a recognizance release may face a separate charge.

Ohio law requires an initial bail hearing no later than the second court day after arrest. The Municipal Court has two criminal arraignment courtrooms, two traffic arraignment courtrooms, and handles felony arraignments.

A person still held without a lawyer gets a second hearing two court days later, with a lawyer appointed at state expense if the person is indigent.

Use only an agent with an Ohio license from the Department of Insurance, 1-614-644-2665. The agent must charge the filed, approved premium rate and disclose expense fees. The Municipal Court describes the surety fee as nonrefundable.

Ohio rules bar an agent from requiring you to sign over real estate title and from soliciting at jails or courthouses.

Ohio law allows real estate or securities. The owner signs a sworn statement that describes the property, the liens on it, and other bonds the owner supports. The court must find that the owner can cover at least the entire bond, and attorneys cannot serve as sureties.

Call the Clerk at 614-525-3600 about the forms that the Common Pleas court wants for a felony.

Use the Franklin County Inmate Search. It shows current inmates at both corrections centers, whatever agency made the arrest. If the booking has not appeared, call 614-525-3368 or the prisoner information line at 614-525-3340.

Municipal Court cases from Columbus arrests are heard at 375 S. High Street.

A judge may not have set the amount yet. In a domestic violence, assault, or sexually oriented case the schedule does not apply, so the person waits for a judge. Real denial of bail is allowed only for capital offenses and for felonies where the person poses a substantial risk of serious physical harm, proven at a hearing by clear and convincing evidence.

A hold from another county or a probation hold can also stop release.

Ask the clerk. Cash bond money and appearance deposits are returned after the case ends and the court approves, but state fees are not returned. Refund checks are mailed about seven to ten business days after the papers are processed.

The person named on the bond can ask to hold the check for pickup with a government photo ID.

Yes. The Franklin County Public Defender is at 373 S. High Street, 12th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215, 614-525-3194. It represents people who cannot afford a lawyer in criminal, juvenile, and custody cases. Municipal interviews run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Ask the judge for an appointed lawyer at the first hearing if you have not reached the office yet.

The Juvenile Intervention Center is a secure detention facility for youth awaiting court hearings. The Juvenile Branch of the Common Pleas Court lists 373 S. High Street, 4th Floor, and 614-525-3628.

Juvenile records are private, so the adult search will not show a child. A public defender interviews juvenile clients Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

The judge can issue a warrant, the bond can be forfeited, and failing to appear can be a separate offense.

Call the Criminal/Traffic Division at 614-645-8186 right away.

No. Commissary and phone deposits do not release anyone. Bond money goes to the Clerk or the kiosk.

The Sheriff's corrections page says that any bond information must come from the Clerk of Courts.

A real kiosk session happens at a corrections center with a deputy clerk on video, and the Clerk's website is the place to check. Nobody will ask for gift cards or app transfers.

Call 614-645-8186 yourself.

• County jails: James A. Karnes Corrections Center, 2551 Fisher Road, Columbus, OH 43204; Correctional Center II, 2460 Jackson Pike, Columbus, OH 43223; 614-525-3368; Franklin County jails
• Bond guide: Bail and bond guide
• Sheriff's Office: 373 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215; 614-525-3333; prisoner information 614-525-3340
• Bond kiosks: Karnes Corrections Center, public and booking areas; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Municipal Court Clerk: 375 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215; Criminal/Traffic 614-645-8186; accounting 614-645-6903; administration 614-645-8006
• Clerk of Courts: 373 S. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215; 614-525-3600; payments at 345 S. High Street, 1st Floor
• Public Defender: 373 S. High Street, 12th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215; 614-525-3194
• Juvenile: Juvenile Intervention Center; Juvenile Branch 614-525-3628
• Custody lookup: Franklin County Inmate Search
• Insurance agents: Ohio Department of Insurance, 1-614-644-2665

Schedules, kiosk services, fees, and phone lines can change. Confirm the amount and the payment route with the Clerk before you pay. Think of this page as a plain-language overview rather than legal advice.

Franklin County is Ohio's most populous county, and Columbus, the state capital, is its county seat. A single court, the Franklin County Municipal Court on South High Street, handles misdemeanor, OVI and traffic cases and the early stage of felonies for the whole county, while sixteen suburbs and villages also run mayor's courts for local ordinance and traffic tickets. Felonies are tried after indictment in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas next door, prosecuted by the elected Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney; Columbus misdemeanors are prosecuted by the City Attorney's office. Adults held after arrest are in the custody of the Franklin County Sheriff, who runs two corrections centers on the city's west and south sides.

• Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, 345 South High Street, Columbus, OH 43215, (614) 525-3453
• Franklin County Clerk of Courts (felony filings and records), 373 South High Street, 23rd Floor, Columbus, OH 43215, (614) 525-3600
• Franklin County Municipal Court, 375 South High Street, Columbus, OH 43215, (614) 645-8214
• Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations and Juvenile Branch, 373 South High Street, Columbus, OH 43215, (614) 525-3628
• Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney, 373 South High Street, 14th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215, (614) 525-3555
• Franklin County Public Defender, 373 South High Street, 12th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215, (614) 525-3194
• Franklin County Sheriff's Office (general), 373 South High Street, Columbus, OH 43215, (614) 525-3333
• James A. Karnes Corrections Center, 2551 Fisher Road, Columbus, OH 43204, and Corrections Center II, 2460 Jackson Pike, Columbus, OH 43223; main line for both (614) 525-3368

Which court hears your case. The Franklin County Municipal Court's territory covers the entire county, so a misdemeanor, OVI or traffic charge filed by Columbus police, the Sheriff, the Highway Patrol or a suburban department generally goes to 375 South High Street; the court also generally hears cases from the parts of Columbus that extend into Delaware and Fairfield counties. Franklin County has no county court. In Bexley, Canal Winchester, Dublin, Gahanna, Grove City, Groveport, Harrisburg, Hilliard, Minerva Park, New Albany, Obetz, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington, Valleyview, Westerville, Whitehall and Worthington, many ordinance and traffic violations go to the local mayor's court instead; those courts have no juries, and a defendant can ask to transfer the case to the municipal court. Felonies begin in the municipal court with an initial appearance and preliminary hearing and move to the Common Pleas General Division once a grand jury indicts or a bill of information is filed. Appeals go to the Tenth District Court of Appeals in Columbus.

Where pretrial detainees are held. Columbus does not run a city jail, so adults arrested anywhere in Franklin County, by Columbus police, suburban officers, deputies or troopers, are booked into the Sheriff's custody. The Sheriff houses pretrial detainees at the James A. Karnes Corrections Center on Fisher Road, which opened in 2022, and at Corrections Center II on Jackson Pike. Both facilities share the main corrections line, (614) 525-3368, for questions about custody, bond and visits.

One municipal court with a separate environmental division serves the whole county, and mayor's courts operate in many suburbs. If a ticket names a mayor's court, appear there; if it names the municipal court, go to South High Street.

Municipal court

• Franklin County Municipal Court — 375 South High Street, Columbus, OH 43215, (614) 645-8214. Territory: all of Franklin County, including Columbus, every suburb and township, and generally the Columbus neighborhoods in Delaware and Fairfield counties. Hears misdemeanors, OVI and traffic cases, felony arraignments and preliminary hearings, civil cases within its limit and small claims. Its Environmental Division, in the same building, handles housing, building, health and environmental code cases, including criminal code violations.

County courts

Franklin County has no county court, since every township is already inside the municipal court's territory.

Mayor's courts

• Bexley Mayor's Court — 2242 East Main Street, Bexley, OH 43209, (614) 559-4437
• Canal Winchester Mayor's Court — court held at Town Hall, 10 North High Street; clerk at 36 South High Street, Canal Winchester, OH 43110, (614) 837-7691
• Dublin Mayor's Court — Dublin Justice Center, 6565 Commerce Parkway, Dublin, OH 43017, (614) 410-4920
• Gahanna Mayor's Court — Gahanna City Hall, 200 South Hamilton Road, Gahanna, OH 43230, (614) 342-4080
• Grove City Mayor's Court — 3360 Park Street, Grove City, OH 43123, (614) 277-1715
• Groveport Mayor's Court — Municipal Building, 655 Blacklick Street, Groveport, OH 43125, (614) 830-2043
• Harrisburg Mayor's Court — at the village offices, 1100 High Street, Harrisburg, OH 43126
• Hilliard Mayor's Court — Joint Safety Services Building, 5171 Northwest Parkway, Hilliard, OH 43026, (614) 334-2348
• Minerva Park Mayor's Court — 2829 Minerva Lake Road, Columbus, OH 43231, (614) 882-1408
• New Albany Mayor's Court — Village Hall, 99 West Main Street, New Albany, OH 43054, (614) 855-8577
• Obetz Mayor's Court — 4175 Alum Creek Drive, Obetz, OH 43207, (614) 491-3211
• Reynoldsburg Mayor's Court — 7232 East Main Street, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068, (614) 322-6804
• Upper Arlington Mayor's Court — 3600 Tremont Road, Upper Arlington, OH 43221, (614) 583-5060
• Valleyview Mayor's Court — Village of Valleyview, on Columbus's west side; the village offices can provide session information
• Westerville Mayor's Court — 21 South State Street, Westerville, OH 43081, (614) 901-6419
• Whitehall Mayor's Court — Whitehall City Hall, 360 South Yearling Road, Whitehall, OH 43213, (614) 338-3109
• Worthington Mayor's Court — 6550 North High Street, Worthington, OH 43085, (614) 786-7351
• Lithopolis and Pickerington mayor's courts, based in Fairfield County, may hear tickets from the small Franklin County portions of those communities: Lithopolis, 11820 Lithopolis Road, (614) 837-2031; Pickerington City Hall, 100 Lockville Road, (614) 837-3974, ext. 2417

Mayor's courts are limited to ordinance and traffic cases within their own boundaries and do not hold jury trials. Certain serious traffic matters must go to the municipal court, and any defendant may request a transfer there.

Downtown Columbus's justice buildings sit together along South High Street, a few blocks south of the Statehouse:

• 375 South High Street — the Franklin County Municipal Court, including the arraignment courtroom, misdemeanor and OVI courtrooms, the Environmental Division and the municipal court clerk.
• 345 South High Street — the Common Pleas Courthouse for the General Division, where felony cases are arraigned, tried and sentenced.
• 373 South High Street — the Franklin County Government Center tower, housing the Clerk of Courts (23rd Floor), the Prosecuting Attorney (14th Floor), the Public Defender (12th Floor), the Domestic Relations and Juvenile Branch, the Probate Court and the Tenth District Court of Appeals.

Expect airport-style screening, long lines on weekday mornings and limited parking; public garages and COTA bus routes serve the area. Bring the case number and arrive at least 30 minutes early.

Booking

An arrested adult is taken to a Sheriff's corrections center, where deputies fingerprint, photograph and medically screen the person and record property. The arresting agency files a complaint in the Franklin County Municipal Court, or for some ordinance offenses, in a suburban mayor's court.

Bond

Some misdemeanor bonds can be posted from the municipal court's bond schedule soon after booking. For other charges, the amount is set by a judge at the first appearance. Since the 2022 bail amendment to the Ohio Constitution, judges must consider public safety, the person's criminal record, the seriousness of the offense and the likelihood of appearance. Options include a recognizance bond, a 10 percent deposit bond, and a cash or surety bond posted through a licensed bail agent; pretrial services staff can supervise release conditions such as reporting, alcohol monitoring or GPS.

Arraignment

People held in custody are arraigned in the municipal court, usually the next business day and typically by video from the corrections center. A public defender is generally available at that first hearing. Misdemeanor defendants enter pleas; felony defendants learn the charges and have bond set, and their cases are scheduled for a preliminary hearing or presented to the grand jury.

After arraignment

Misdemeanors continue to pretrials and possibly trial in the municipal court. Felonies are either indicted directly or bound over after a preliminary hearing, then arraigned in the Common Pleas General Division and assigned to an individual judge for pretrials, motions and trial or plea.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office runs two adult facilities:

• James A. Karnes Corrections Center — 2551 Fisher Road, Columbus, OH 43204. The county's newest jail, named for a former sheriff, replaced the old downtown facility in 2022.
• Corrections Center II — 2460 Jackson Pike, Columbus, OH 43223, on the south side.

The main corrections number for both is (614) 525-3368, and the Sheriff's general line is (614) 525-3333. Detainees appear in court by video or are transported to South High Street. Visitation, phone accounts, commissary deposits and mail follow rules set by the Sheriff that change from time to time, so check before visiting or sending money. A person released from either center should arrange a ride in advance.

The Franklin County Public Defender, 373 South High Street, 12th Floor, (614) 525-3194, is one of the largest public defense offices in Ohio. Its lawyers represent eligible adults in the municipal court and the Common Pleas Court and youths in the juvenile court. Eligibility is based on a financial affidavit that lists income, household size and assets; a small application fee may be requested, but inability to pay it does not bar representation. When the office has a conflict of interest, for example in a case with multiple defendants, the court appoints a private attorney from its appointed-counsel list. Anyone who does not qualify should contact a private defense lawyer quickly, ideally before the first pretrial or preliminary hearing.

Felonies and juvenile cases belong to the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney, 373 South High Street, 14th Floor, (614) 525-3555. The office presents cases to the county grand jury, tries indicted felonies and files delinquency complaints.

Misdemeanors in the municipal court are prosecuted by the Columbus City Attorney's Prosecutor Division for offenses in Columbus and in some townships, and by each suburb's law director or city prosecutor for offenses inside that suburb. Mayor's courts have their own prosecutors.

Diversion. The Prosecuting Attorney's Alternatives to Prosecution program lets some first-time, lower-level felony defendants complete conditions such as treatment, restitution or classes in exchange for dismissal. City prosecutors run their own misdemeanor diversion options. Ohio's intervention in lieu of conviction statute is another route for eligible defendants whose offenses are linked to addiction or mental illness.

Victims. Under Marsy's Law, victims have constitutional rights to notice of proceedings, to attend and to be heard at bond, plea and sentencing, and to restitution. Victim advocates in the Prosecuting Attorney's office and the City Attorney's office help victims exercise those rights.

Franklin County's courts operate a wide set of specialized dockets certified by the Supreme Court of Ohio. These programs trade standard probation for intensive supervision by a single judge, treatment, frequent drug testing and regular court check-ins, with reduced or dismissed charges or lighter sentences for those who finish. In the municipal court they include the CATCH court (Changing Actions to Change Habits), a nationally known docket for people involved in human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, along with a military and veterans docket and programs focused on mental health and substance use. The Common Pleas Court runs its own felony-level drug and recovery dockets and other treatment programs. Program names and admission rules change over time, so a defense lawyer is the best source for whether a particular case qualifies.

The Franklin County Municipal Court handles one of the heaviest misdemeanor caseloads in Ohio. Theft from big-box and mall stores, OVI arrests on the outerbelt (I-270) and downtown, domestic violence charges and trespass complaints are routine. Many lower-level offenses start with a summons or citation; OVI and domestic violence usually involve an arrest and booking.

Inside the municipal court

At arraignment the defendant enters a plea, and the court reviews bond and counsel. A not-guilty plea sends the case to an assigned judge for pretrial conferences, where discovery such as body-camera video is shared and plea offers are discussed. A jury trial happens only after a written jury demand; the eight jurors must be unanimous. Under Ohio's speedy-trial law, the state has 90 days to try a first- or second-degree misdemeanor and 45 days for a third- or fourth-degree misdemeanor, with time extended by defense continuances.

Maximum sentences

• M1 — 180 days and $1,000; petty theft (under $1,000), assault and aggravated trespass fall here.
• M2 — 90 days and $750.
• M3 — 60 days and $500.
• M4 — 30 days and $250; criminal trespass.
• Minor misdemeanor — a fine capped at $150, with no possibility of jail.

First OVI

A first OVI is an M1 that requires at least three consecutive days in jail or a 72-hour driver intervention program, or six days when the test is at the high level (.17 or above) or certain refusal provisions apply. The court must also fine the driver at least $375, and the cap is $1,075. An administrative license suspension usually begins at arrest, and a conviction carries a court suspension of one to three years, with limited privileges commonly granted and ignition-interlock options for broader driving. Treatment and assessment are typically ordered.

Outcomes and time

Dismissal, reduction, diversion, intervention in lieu of conviction, fines, community control and jail are all possible endings. Sealing is often possible once the required waiting period has passed. Most Franklin County misdemeanor cases are finished in one to four months.

Franklin County's Common Pleas General Division handles thousands of felony indictments a year. The early steps take place in the municipal court at 375 South High Street.

The sequence

1. Municipal court arraignment on the felony complaint, with bond set and counsel appointed or confirmed.
2. Preliminary hearing within 10 consecutive days for a jailed defendant or 15 days for one released (Criminal Rule 5(B)), unless an indictment arrives first. Many Franklin County felonies are indicted directly, so the hearing never happens.
3. Grand jury review by a Franklin County grand jury, which hears the prosecutor's evidence in private. Some defendants waive indictment and plead to a bill of information.
4. Common Pleas arraignment at 345 South High Street, where the case is assigned to a judge and bond is reviewed.
5. Pretrials, discovery and motions, which can stretch over several months. Most cases settle by plea agreement.
6. Trial before a 12-person jury that must be unanimous, or before the judge if the defendant waives a jury.
7. Sentencing, usually after a presentence investigation.

Ohio's speedy-trial statute requires a felony trial within 270 days of arrest, and each day in jail held only on that charge counts as three days. Most felonies take four to twelve months.

Sentencing ranges

• F5: 6 to 12 months; theft of $1,000 to $7,500. Ohio's sentencing law points many first-time, nonviolent F4 and F5 offenders toward community control rather than prison.
• F4: 6 to 18 months; theft of $7,500 to $150,000.
• F3: generally 9 to 36 months, though a handful of listed offenses allow 12 to 60; burglary charges often land here.
• F2: 2 to 8 years; this tier includes felonious assault and the burglary of an occupied dwelling when a person is likely inside.
• F1: 3 to 11 years.

For F1 and F2 offenses committed on or after March 22, 2019, the Reagan Tokes Law requires indefinite sentences: a minimum term set by the judge and a maximum up to 50 percent longer. Drug trafficking ranges from F5 to F1 depending on the drug and amount, and fentanyl cases can carry heavy mandatory terms. Firearm specifications add mandatory prison time, and repeat violent offender specifications can add more. Intervention in lieu of conviction and the specialized dockets are alternatives for eligible defendants.

Most of Franklin County's homicide, shooting, sexual assault and armed robbery cases are investigated by the Columbus Division of Police, with suburban departments, the Sheriff and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation handling others. Senior trial attorneys in the Prosecuting Attorney's office take these cases to the grand jury, often within days of the arrest. At the municipal court's first appearance, bond is usually set very high, and prosecutors may seek detention without bail after a hearing.

Penalties

• Aggravated murder: the judge may impose life without parole or life with a first parole hearing at 20, 25 or 30 years, and a capital prosecution can end in a death sentence. Ohio retains the death penalty, but no execution has been carried out since 2018 because of repeated reprieves.
• Murder: 15 years to life, with additional mandatory time for firearm specifications.
• Rape: an F1 sentenced under Reagan Tokes with a minimum and maximum term; life imprisonment is possible in certain cases with victims under 13.
• Aggravated robbery: an F1, and in Columbus cases it frequently carries a gun specification as well.

Violent felony cases in Franklin County often take one to two years or more, especially when there are multiple defendants, forensic disputes or expert witnesses. Victims have Marsy's Law rights to notice, attendance and a voice at hearings. The Public Defender's office or appointed counsel who meet state standards for serious felony and capital cases represents defendants who cannot afford a lawyer.

In Franklin County, delinquency cases go to the Juvenile Branch of the Court of Common Pleas, Domestic Relations and Juvenile Division, at 373 South High Street, (614) 525-3628. The Prosecuting Attorney's juvenile unit files complaints for the state.

Intake and diversion

Intake staff review complaints from police and schools. First-time and lower-level matters are often handled unofficially or diverted into programs that may require community service, restitution, counseling, mentoring or school compliance; finishing the program keeps the youth from being formally adjudicated delinquent.

The Juvenile Intervention Center

Police and intake staff release most Franklin County youths to a parent or guardian. A youth who must be held is taken to the court's juvenile detention facility, now called the Franklin County Juvenile Intervention Center, at 399 South Front Street downtown, and never to an adult corrections center. A detention hearing must follow promptly, generally within 72 hours or by the next court day.

Possible dispositions

A youth found delinquent may receive probation, treatment, community service, restitution, electronic monitoring or a period in detention. For felony-level offenses, the court can commit the youth to the Ohio Department of Youth Services, potentially until age 21.

Adult court and Serious Youthful Offender cases

Bindover to the Common Pleas General Division is mandatory for some 16- and 17-year-olds, and in limited cases 14- and 15-year-olds, charged with the most serious crimes, such as murder or certain offenses with firearms. Outside that mandatory group, transfer of a youth aged 14 or older is up to the juvenile judge, who first decides at an amenability hearing whether the juvenile system can rehabilitate the youth. A Serious Youthful Offender blended sentence combines a juvenile disposition with an adult sentence that is stayed and can be imposed if the youth fails.

Juvenile records are generally confidential, and most can later be sealed. The Franklin County Public Defender represents youths who qualify.

Columbus is the main seat of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, so Franklin County federal cases are heard only a few blocks from the county courts, at the Joseph P. Kinneary U.S. Courthouse, 85 Marconi Boulevard, Columbus, OH 43215.

Each of the federal offices involved has its Columbus headquarters near the courthouse:

• Prosecution — U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio, 303 Marconi Boulevard, Suite 200, Columbus, OH 43215; main line (614) 469-5715, victim-witness (888) 529-2820
• Defense — Federal Public Defender, 10 West Broad Street, Suite 1020, Columbus, OH 43215, (614) 469-2999, with Criminal Justice Act panel lawyers taking conflict cases
• Custody — U.S. Marshals Service, Southern District headquarters, 85 Marconi Boulevard, Room 460, Columbus, OH 43215, (614) 469-5540

Which cases go federal. Federal charges follow investigations by agencies such as the FBI, DEA, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, the Secret Service, IRS Criminal Investigation and the Postal Inspection Service, often working through task forces with Columbus police and the Sheriff. In Franklin County, common federal prosecutions include drug trafficking organizations, felons and other prohibited persons with guns, violent gang cases, bank robbery, child exploitation, public corruption, and health care, bank and pandemic-relief fraud. Prosecutors at both levels coordinate on cases that could be charged in either system.

Process. A federal arrestee appears before a magistrate judge at the Kinneary courthouse, usually the same or next court day, and is appointed counsel if eligible. When the government seeks detention, the hearing is generally held within three court days. The Bail Reform Act lets the judge release the defendant on conditions supervised by U.S. Pretrial Services or order detention; private bail bonds are not part of federal practice. An indictment must follow within 30 days of an arrest on a complaint, and the Speedy Trial Act sets a 70-day deadline for trial, regularly extended for complex discovery. Most defendants plead guilty; federal juries have 12 members and must be unanimous.

Sentencing. After a presentence report by U.S. Probation, the judge calculates the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and applies any mandatory minimum, which is common in drug and firearm cases. Federal sentences carry no parole; with good-conduct credit, a defendant serves roughly 85 percent of the term in the Bureau of Prisons, followed by supervised release. Federal appeals from Franklin County cases go to the Sixth Circuit court of appeals.

Detention and juveniles. A Franklin County defendant ordered detained in a federal case stays in Marshals custody at one of the facilities that house federal prisoners under contract; relatives in Columbus can try the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator for someone from Franklin County by name or register number. Franklin County detainees held pretrial at a Marshals-contract jail might also appear in that jail's lookup. Federal prosecution of people under 18 is uncommon.

This Franklin County page gives a general description of how criminal cases move through the municipal, mayor's, Common Pleas, juvenile and federal courts; it is not legal advice, and procedures and programs change. If you are charged, contact a criminal defense attorney or the Franklin County Public Defender at (614) 525-3194.