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When it comes to the justice system in the United States, felony crimes are considered the more serious of criminal offenses. Punishment for felony crimes starts at a minimum of one year in jail. Anything sentence less than that is considered to be a misdemeanor crime. You can be charged with either a felony or misdemeanor for the same crime.
Often, prosecutors will charge a suspect with a more serious felony in the hopes of coming to a plea bargain agreement to a lesser misdemeanor charge and avoiding a trial. However, if the crime that was committed involved a serious injury to another person or costly damages to property, the suspect will be charged with the felony.
There was a time when the participants in a felony crime were divided up into degrees. This meant that the person who committed the actual crime was charged with the first-degree felony, but a person who just helped them was charged with a second-degree felony. Those distinctions are no longer applied in the United States justice system. Instead, it falls to the legislature of each state to determine their own felony distinctions.
Types of Felony Crimes
The range of crimes classified as felonies is just what you would expect them to be. These include arson, vandalism, aggravated assault, burglary, grand theft, illegal drug possession or dealing, rape, murder, or robbery. Every state has determined the level of seriousness attached to a specific felony crime committed within their borders. Some states make the distinctions as Class A felony, Class B felony, etc. Other states assign degrees as in 1st Degree felony, 2nd Degree felony, etc.
Each of those different types of felony charges comes with its own sets of minimum sentencing and/or fines. Again, these distinctions can be used in plea bargain arrangements. A person could be charged with a Class A felony but plea down to the lesser Class B charge and receive a smaller amount of jail time.
Felony Restrictions
There are several common law restrictions attached to a person who has been convicted of a felony crime. These restrictions apply across the country. A felon is not allowed to own any kind of firearm; they can’t vote, they can’t serve on a jury, or run for elected office. And if the felon is not a citizen, they can be deported after serving their punishment. A person convicted of a felony can also be named in an uncontested divorce in several states. Keep in mind that even if a felon has served their time and paid their fine, they are still considered a felon in the eyes of the state and federal government unless they receive a pardon from the governor or expungement of their record.
Felony Expungement
In certain cases, a convicted felon who has served out their punishment can seek an expungement of their record. If their application is approved by the court, their felony conviction could be expunged, which means removed from the public record. Expungement is only applied to state crimes. Federal crimes don’t allow for expungement and can only be cleared with a Presidential pardon.
Felony Law Articles
Texas Felony
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California Felony
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Wyoming Felony
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Wisconsin Felony
Understanding the Felony Classes in Wisconsin Law Wisconsin law categorizes felonies based on severity, with Class A being the most severe and Class I being the least severe. Felonies are…
West Virginia Felony
West Virginia Felonies West Virginia classifies felonies as any criminal act that can be punished by a year or more in a state prison. Most states have alphabetical classifications for…
Washington Felony
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Virginia Felony
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Vermont Felony
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Utah Felony
Utah Felony Basics Utah defines felony offenses as any kind of criminal offense that is punishable by incarceration or death sentencing. Felony offenses are more severe than misdemeanor offenses. Many…
Tennessee Felony
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