Felonies v. Misdemeanors Crimes
Posted on Mar 8, 2010 10:00am PST
If you have been charged with a crime, it’s important to determine whether you have been charged with a misdemeanor or a felony. All crimes are classified as either a felony or a misdemeanor, and the penalties you will face depend greatly on whether you are facing felony charges or misdemeanor charges.
In most states misdemeanors tend to be punishable by no more than a year in county jail and up to $1,000 in fines, whereas felonies are punishable by
at least one year in jail (usually more) and at minimum $1,000 in fines. The degree of your charges will also affect the extent of your penalties. For example, a first-degree felony carries much harsher penalties than a third degree felony.
Examples of Misdemeanors and Felonies
For the most part, misdemeanors and felonies are the same in each state. So in general, examples of felonies include:
- Murder/manslaughter/homicide
- Aggravated Assault
- Aggravated Battery
- Grand theft
- Most drug crimes (i.e. trafficking, distribution, manufacturing, possession, etc.)
- Most sex crimes (i.e. rape, statutory rape, child molestation, child pornography, lewd conduct, etc.)
- White collar crimes (i.e. fraud, forgery, embezzlement, insider trading, money laundering, etc.)
- Felony DUI
Examples of misdemeanors include:
- DUI
- Petty theft
- Domestic violence
- Simple assault
It’s important to take your charges seriously, regardless of whether you’ve been charged with a misdemeanor or a felony. An experienced
criminal defense lawyer can guide you through the criminal process and provide you with the aggressive defense you need to increase your chances of overcoming your charges.
