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 degree or severity of the crime. In some states the top of the felony list are the capital offenses for which death can be the maximum punishment. In Indiana the top of the felony list is the Murder Felony and does not include the option of the death penalty. Murder Felonies are the most severe and are punishable by anywhere between forty-five years in prison and sixty-five years in prison. The crimes that constitute Murder Felony are arson, rape, murder, manslaughter, and kidnapping. Other Indiana classes involve some of these crimes, but under the Murder Felony category the crimes are often combined and often violent. An example of this includes the conviction of murder in the first degree and rape for the same instance.
Class A Felonies include drug dealing, rape, drug crimes, kidnapping, burglary, arson, and white collar crimes. Class A Felonies are punishable by up to fifty years in prison and as low as twenty years in prison for a single crime.
Class B Felonies are punishable between six years in prison and twenty years in prison. Offenses under the Class B category include child solicitation, sexual crimes, and sexual conduct with a minor using a deadly weapon by an individual over the age of twenty-one.
Class C Felonies can have charges between two years minimum and eight years maximum for a single sentence. This category of felonies holds the offenses of stalking with order of protection already in place, driving under the influence, sexual misconduct with a minor by an individual over the age of twenty-one, theft, and child solicitation by using a computer network.
Class D Felonies is the last category of felonies in Indiana.
Class F felonies include promoting animal fighting contest, cruelty to animals, and stalking. This class is punishable by up to three years incarceration. Some felonies may have fines included with or instead of prison sentences.
Indiana Expungement
Expungement allows for the legal destroying of criminal records through court petitioning. The expungement of felony records is almost impossible in the state of Indiana. Felony records under Indiana Law are the most severe of all offense and usually remain for precautions. Expungement is generally only available for individuals who have been arrested but did not have criminal charges brought against them and for all criminal charges that were filed but were later dropped because of mistaken identity, no offense was committed at all, or if there is an absence of probable cause.
Indiana has statute of limitations for each felony. There is no limitation for Murder Felonies or Class A Felonies and there is five years for Class B Felonies, Class C Felonies, Class D Felonies, and forgery of instrument of payment. Some extensions are given for some of these statues and are normally for sexual offenses where the victim was a minor at the time of the offense.
