Misdemeanors and felonies fall under the crime categories. But they’re not the same and the consequences for each are quite different. When you have a misdemeanor, you’re looking at a lesser crime that can give you some fines or just a short stay in jail, one year or less. Felonies cover more serious crimes and can also mean some large fines or even a few years in prison.
Criminal offenses fall into a couple of main groups – crimes against people and crimes against property. If the offense targets someone’s home or the things that they own, it’s a crime against property.
But if someone gets hurt or faces the threat of hurt, then you’re looking at a crime against a person. Some of the common felony crimes against property include burglary and arson. For example, arson happens when someone purposely sets fire to a property, which involves burning your own property or someone else’s property.
Other property crimes may include embezzlement, larceny, robbery and false pretenses. False pretenses happen when someone uses a lie to trick another person into handing over their property or their title.
There’s also false imprisonment, which means keeping someone somewhere against their will. This becomes a felony if the person being held is a child or if some force is involved.
Crimes against people can get severe and include things like kidnapping, murder, and manslaughter. Felony murder comes up when a murder happens while someone is committing a crime that’s an “inherently dangerous felony”.
You might see that some criminal offenses may be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony. With property crimes, if the damage is worse or the stolen property is worth more, you’re more likely to see the charge bumped up to a felony.
For crimes against people, the severity of harm to the victim plays a big part in whether someone faces a felony charge. Things that make a crime more likely to be a felony include force, a weapon or committing the crime against a child, an elderly person, or someone in law enforcement.
What Are the Classes of Felonies?
The felony categories or classes can look pretty different depending on where you live. States also sort these by how extreme the crime is and what punishment could follow. Some of the places actually call them by letters, like Class B felony or Class D felony. But others might still use numbers like Class 1 felony, Class 2 felony or Class 3 felony.
You might run into a state that doesn’t sort the felonies into these kinds of groups at all. There’s no single strategy.
Sometimes, you’ll see a combination of the classes or levels instead.
On the federal side, things get a bit more complex, with around 43 levels of felony crimes.
Is a Class A Felony Serious?
A Class A felony, which is sometimes called a Level 1 felony, covers the most serious crimes. If someone is convicted of a Class A felony, then the sentence could mean life in prison.
Which crimes count as Class A felonies can vary quite a bit depending on the state laws. And you should check the laws where you live to get a much clearer picture.
What Is a Class B Felony?
Class B felonies do still carry some consequences, at a lower level than Class A felonies. Because of that, people usually don’t face quite as harsh a sentence for a Class B felony as they would for a Class A felony.
But the time that someone might spend in prison can increase if any sentencing enhancements apply. For example, your prison term could get quite a bit longer if you have any past convictions. Your sentence can also increase if you use a deadly weapon. If you commit a gang-related crime, you could be looking at extra time. Being found guilty of a hate crime can even give you a longer sentence too and each one can add more time. In these cases, it’s possible to get a sentence that can add decades past what you would expect.
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What Are Other Felony Classifications?
As you move down the alphabet, felonies get treated as less serious in the legal system. For example, a Class C felony might cover some things like involuntary manslaughter or the cases where someone sells or buys a child.
With involuntary manslaughter, someone has caused a death (homicide) without meaning to do so, often because of another crime or some careless behavior.
If you’re facing a Class C felony charge, you could see a prison sentence that ranges anywhere from five to as high as ten years in total.
Some places have even more categories in their system, so you might run into Class D or Class E felonies, depending on where you’re located.
What Are the Penalties for Felony Crimes?
You might also need to pay restitution to anyone who was affected by the crime. Restitution means that you have to pay the victim for any losses that your actions caused. In some cases, the victim might even sue you in the civil court for more compensation.
These losses can also cover things like the physical or mental injuries, the pain or suffering, and any of the medical bills that came up because of what happened.
Some of the felonies still come with even harder penalties. If you’re convicted of a felony sex crime, such as rape or having child pornography, you might need to register yourself as a sex offender.
You can lose rights as another possible outcome. In many states, if you’re convicted of a felony, it means you can’t vote anymore. You might also run into some restrictions on things like owning a firearm or holding a professional license once you get out of prison.
Do I Need to Contact a Criminal Attorney About a Felony?
If you have a felony charge, you should reach out to a felony lawyer.
A felony also comes with some dangers for you. These dangers include the long prison time.
The cost may also involve expensive fines. Consequences also come with other problems like losing the chance to get jobs or to own firearms in the future.
