According to Ohio law, under what condition can evidence of a defendant's prior crimes involving sexual misconduct be allowed?

Evidence of a defendant's prior crimes involving sexual misconduct is typically admitted in Ohio when it is relevant to a specific issue in the case unrelated to the defendant's character or disposition. This means the evidence must serve a particular purpose, such as demonstrating motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident. The law allows for this type of evidence when it assists in making a fact more or less probable, which aligns with the rules governing the admissibility of prior bad acts.

Even when the evidence pertains to prior sexual misconduct, the relevancy must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. This approach helps ensure that the evidence does not unfairly prejudice the jury against the defendant based solely on their past behavior, but rather illustrates an important aspect of the case at hand.

In contrast, evidence that is merely offered because it might align with public morals, is corroborated by witnesses, or is presented during sentencing does not meet the necessary legal standard for relevance and reliability required to be considered admissible in court.