If you have been convicted of a felony or know somebody who has, you should check out Jobs for People with Felonies.
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
Alabama Felony
In the state of Alabama there are three felony classes: Class A, Class B, and Class C. Class A Felonies These are the highest felon convictions received in the state…
Alaska Felony
In the state of Alaska most felonies have an A, B, or C classification with the exclusion of specific serious crimes. Each crime is categorized by the seriousness and circumstances…
Arizona Felony
Felony Classifications in Arizona Arizona divides crimes into two categories: felonies and misdemeanors. These classifications have the greatest impact on the type of punishment or punishments that will be administered….
Arkansas Felony
Arkansas Felony Penalties Felonies in Arkansas carry steep fines that vary depending on the felony class. Fines for both Class A and Class B felonies shall not exceed $15,000.00. The…
California Felony
California Felonies Charges and convictions for felonies in California can result in probation and jail time. A felony can sometimes result in a prison sentence of sixteen months or up…
Colorado Felony
A felony, according to the Colorado Constitution, is any offense for which an offender can be sentenced to a state penitentiary. It also states that the court’s power to sentence…
Connecticut Felony
In the state of Connecticut felonies are classified as: a capital felony or within classes A-D. The following lists the offenses within these classifications with the punishment for each classification….
Delaware Felony
Felony in Delaware The felonies of Delaware are broken into different class categories ranging for A to G. The highest of felonies is the Class A Felony. Class A Felonies…
Florida Felony
Felony Classifications in Florida Florida, like any other state, has two types of crimes: felonies and misdemeanors. A felony is defined as a crime punishable by more than one year…
Georgia Felony
A felony is more serious offense than misdemeanor, and it can carry very serious penalties. Felony charges include criminal charges such as aggravated drug charges, assault, sexual assault, armed robbery,…
Hawaii Felony
In the state of Hawaii felonies are classified in classes of A, B, or C. Class A are the most serious of crimes committed in this state. Class B felonies…
Idaho Felony
In the state of Idaho felonies are not classified by letter or number classes. Instead criminal offenses considered as felonies are defined based on statutory provisions of each offense. A…
Illinois Felony
Illinois Felonies Misdemeanors and felonies are often confused for one another. There are a few ways of telling them apart. Misdemeanors carry sentences of less than one year and are…
Indiana Felony
Felonies in Indiana Felony classes in Indiana are broken into five categories ranging from murder felonies to Class D Felonies. Felony classes vary according to the crime committed and the…
Iowa Felony
Felonies in Iowa Iowa felony classifications range from Class A Felonies through Class D Felony. Unlike misdemeanor offenses, all felony offenses are served in state prisons where misdemeanors are usually…
Kansas Felony
In the state of Kansas felonies are classified as off-grid or by a severity level. These severity levels are based on level 1 as the most severe and level 10…
Kentucky Felony
Kentucky Felonies In the state of Kentucky felonies are defined as offenses that are punishable by death or confinement in prison. A fine may also be included in the conviction….
Louisiana Felony
In terms of criminal law, felonies are the most serious category. A person is typically arrested for a felony crime when the crime results in serious personal injury, death, or…
Maine Felony
When it comes to crime classifications, the law, statutes, and sentencing guidelines are determined by each state’s legislature. If you or a loved one is charged with a crime, it…
Maryland Felony
A felony conviction in Maryland will result in a minimum of one year in jail, but the actual amount of time sentenced is entirely dependent on the crime and the…
Massachusetts Felony
Felonies are frequently defined as the most serious crimes, more serious than misdemeanors. Felony charges typically carry a one-year prison sentence. The length of time depends on the severity of…
Michigan Felony
Michigan Felonies Michigan has different classifications for its felonies. These range from Class A Felonies to Class G Felonies. Class A Felonies include armed robbery, assault against a pregnant women…
Minnesota Felony
Felonies in Minnesota Court After an arrest has been made for a felony a court hearing will follow to determine the set bail if any are to be imposed. If…
Mississippi Felony
Mississippi Felonies A minimum of one-year imprisonment normally classifies a felony in Mississippi. Felonies are serious crimes and usually include rape, murder, and burglary. They are more severe than misdemeanors…
Missouri Felony
What is a Felony in Missouri? Missouri classifies its felonies into different categories that have different penalties depending on the type of charge. Each charge is set at a specific…
Montana Felony
Montana Felonies Unlike other states, Montana does not have classifications for its felony offenses. Instead Montana breaks each felony offense into different statutes for punishments and convictions. The felony of…
Nebraska Felony
Nebraska has a wide range of criminal offense categories into which felonies can be classified. Misdemeanors and felonies are the same as in other states. Instead of categorizing crimes alphabetically,…
Nevada Felony
In Nevada, felony is referred to as a category rather than a class. What are the different types of felonies in Nevada, and what is the maximum punishment (including fines…
New Hampshire Felony
In the state of New Hampshire criminal offenses that are considered felonies are classified as class A or B. With the exception of murder and offenses resulting in the death…
New Jersey Felony
What are Felonies in New Jersey? Each states has different systems for categorizing felonies within its state borders. Some do this alphabetically. Others do this numerically. While some have no…
New Mexico Felony
In New Mexico, a felony is defined as any crime defined by law or conviction for a sentence of death or imprisonment for one year or more. There are five…
New York Felony
In the state of New York, felonies are classified as classes A1, A2, B, C, D and E. Each class of felony is classified as a violent or nonviolent crime…
North Carolina Felony
Felonies in North Carolina The state of North Carolina has four specific qualifiers for defining a felony. These include that the offense can be punished by death, the offense was…
North Dakota Felony
In the state of North Dakota felony criminal offenses are classified as classes AA, B, and C. Class AA are the most severe of these felony criminal offenses. The following…
Ohio Felony
What is a Felony? A felony is the most serious criminal offense that can be committed. Both adults and juveniles may be charged with felonies in Ohio. Felony punishments in…
Oklahoma Felony
Oklahoma Felonies Unlike other states, Oklahoma does not break its felonies into different classifications. Instead each felony is measured by a specific degree under each individual crime. These categories defined…
Oregon Felony
In the state of Oregon, felony criminal offenses are classified as Class A, B, C, or U. Class U felony criminal offenses are the most severe. While Class A felony…
Pennsylvania Felony
Pennsylvania Felonies Felonies differ from misdemeanors in their severity of punishment and their severity of offenses. Misdemeanor offenses carry sentences of one year or less in a county or local…
Rhode Island Felony
Felony Penalties and Charges in Rhode Island In Rhode Island, felonies can result in as little as a year in county jail or as much as life in prison. Unlike…
South Carolina Felony
South Carolina Felonies The state of South Carolina defines felonies as crimes that are designated into classifications by state statutes. Felonies in most states usually carry stipulated sentences of no…
South Dakota Felony
Felony Charges in South Dakota If you are facing a criminal charge in South Dakota, it’s vital to understand the felony classifications and their consequences. Felony charges are serious and…
Tennessee Felony
Felonies in Tennessee Tennessee offenses are distinguished by the gravity of each offense. These range from capital offenses to misdemeanors. The most serious offenses are felonies. Capital crimes rank just…
Texas Felony
Felonies in Texas Understanding the differences between these levels and the potential consequences of a Texas felony conviction is essential for anyone facing a criminal charge. In this post, we…
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…
Vermont Felony
Vermont Felonies The state of Vermont defines its felonies as offenses that can have imprisonment terms of more than two years in a state prison or as much as life…
Virginia Felony
In Virginia, felonies are classified into six categories. Virginia Class 1 Felony Class 1 felonies are punishable by life in prison, death, or a fine of no more than $100,000….
Washington Felony
Classes of felonies In the state of Washington, there are three different classes of felonies. The first is a Class A felony which can carry with it life in prison…
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…
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…
Wyoming Felony
Wyoming Felonies Wyoming defines a felony as an offense that can have a criminal punishment of at least one year in prison. The state of Wyoming does not separate its…