Top 10 Felony Articles
Felonies are like the grand prize of criminal convictions. You may only need one and you’ll be set for life.
If you’ve just graduated from parking tickets and misdemeanor charges and are working your way up to committing a felony, you may want to speak with an experienced criminal defense attorney—and perhaps a life coach, too.
The follow articles from the LegalMatch Law Library provide a quick overview of criminal laws related to felonies.
1. What Is a Felony?
Crimes are usually classified in two ways: felonies and misdemeanors. Felonies are more serious and carry higher penalties. Usually a felony is a crime for which the sentence is one year or more. Most states classify felonies into different categories with the most serious being Class A Felonies.
2. How to Get a Felony Expunged
There are a couple ways that you can limit access to your record including sealing the record so that it cannot be accessed in certain ways. However, expunging your record means that the crime is taken off the record all together, like it didn’t happen. This is a very difficult process and is only available for certain crimes.
3. Felony Traffic Offenses
The most dangerous driving activities are often also classified as felonies. Felony traffic offenses include vehicular homicide, certain types of hit and run offenses, and repeat offenses like multiple DUI arrests or driving without a license arrests.
4. Burglary
Although burglary is defined a little differently in different jurisdictions, generally it is the entering of a structure with the intent to commit some sort of crime therein. Although most people think that it has to do with stealing, you may be guilty of battery even if you didn’t steal anything and never intended to.
5. Aggravated Assault and Battery
Battery and assault are crimes to someone’s person. They include various forms of unlawful touching. Battery and assault charges become aggravated when the circumstances are more serious because the assailant used some sort of weapon or acted recklessly. Different states have different rules as to what makes an assault or battery aggravated, so you may need to talk to a lawyer about your state’s laws.
6. Attempted Murder
Planning to kill someone and then going through with the plan, even if the person did not die, is clearly a case of attempted murder. However, someone may also be charged with attempted murder based on extremely reckless conduct and/or disregard for human life. Sentences vary for attempted murder and it is possible to be sentenced to life in prison.
7. Defense of Property
If you are charged with a violent crime such as assault or murder while on your own property, the charges may be dropped if there is a clear case of defense of property. However, this is only available in extremely limited circumstances, such as with reasonable force.
8. Meth Labs
The structured creation and sale of meth is a felony. In some states, possession of any amount of meth is a felony. The laws a strict and there are high consequences for the creation of meth including prison sentences, fines, and forfeiture of any property used in the creation of meth such as someone’s home.
9. Drug Crimes
Depending on the circumstances, most drug crimes can be felonies. This article includes information about the different types of drug crimes and possible consequences.
10. Accessory to a Felony
Someone is charged as an accessory to a crime when he or she did not commit the crime, but helped the person in some way. It is possible that an accessory can have the same punishment as the actual person who commits the crime, depending on his or her level of involvement.
