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. Felonies are classified into different categories that have different criminal charges. Capital Offense Felonies are punishable by life in prison or by death. This class of offenses includes fetal homicide in the first degree, murder, and kidnapping of different degrees. When a victim is not released alive or dies afterward as a result of either serious physical injury obtain during the kidnapping, not having been released in a safe environment, or being released under any circumstances that could result in the victim’s purposely, the kidnapping is marked as a Capital Offense.
Class A Felonies includes kidnapping, drug, crimes, robbery, and burglary. Punishment of Class A Felonies include as few as twenty years in prison or as much as fifty years in prison.
Class B Felonies are punishable by up to twenty years in a prison or as few as ten years in prison. The criminal charges that constitute Class B Felonies include sexual crimes, theft, drug crimes, manslaughter in the first degree, fetal homicide in the second degree, and assault in the first degree.
Class C Felonies are punishable from anywhere between five years to ten years in a state prison. Criminal charges for Class C Felonies include unlawful access to computers in the first degree, use of stolen credit cards where the amount exceed ten thousand dollars, white collar crimes, driving under the influence offenses, manslaughter in the second degree, trafficking in financial data, and assault in the second degree.
The last felony classification is the Class D Felony. This felony includes felonious driving, reckless homicide, use of stolen credit cards that exceeds five hundred dollars but is less than one thousand dollars, stalking in the first degree, and assault in the third degree. Punishment for Class D Felonies include up to five years in prison and no less than one year in prison.
In contrast misdemeanor charges in Kentucky have sentences of less than twelve months in a county jail facility and usually come with fines between two hundred dollars and one thousand dollars. Felony convictions are always served in a state penitentiary and misdemeanor convictions are always served in a county jail.
Kentucky Felony Expungement
Expungement allows deserving individuals to have their records cleared of criminal charges. This gives individuals the opportunity to receive employment, professional licenses, and other civil opportunities that would otherwise be compromised due to past criminal records. Expungement means the destruction of criminal files and records so they will no longer be accessible to the general public and most law enforcement agencies. This destruction is a figurative destruction as records can be used in future cases as priors and for the running of public office. The state of Kentucky does not allow felony conviction records to be expunged. Some misdemeanors can be expunged after a sentence has been completed along with the necessary probation time as appointed by the court.
