Felonies

Felonies are a class of offenses that are considered more serious than misdemeanors and infractions and therefore receive tougher legal penalties. The federal government defines felonies as crimes that involve a potential sentence of one or more years in prison. Felonies are variously classified either alphabetically or numerically, with the most serious felonies receiving first position. For example, murder is a class A or 1st degree felony, while a certain type of manslaughter may be a class B or 2nd degree felony.

Although sentencing guidelines for felonies contain a provision for jail time, the punishment for some felonies may be reduced to probation. In addition to imprisonment or probation, a felony conviction usually brings additional consequences, such as the loss of voting rights, difficulty finding employment in certain lines of work, the ineligibility to hold public office and the removal of the right to purchase or own firearms and ammunition. If a felon is not a U.S. citizen, the person may be deported after sentencing is complete.

When a person is charged with a felony, hiring a criminal defense attorney is the best the way to secure the lightest sentence or, in cases where evidence of the person’s involvement in a crime is questionable, have the charge dropped or win a not guilty verdict. When hiring a defense attorney, always begin by seeking attorneys who have experience dealing with your type of case.