Felony Classifications

There are different types of crimes committed by people. Some of these crimes are not a very serious threat to the society like speeding, trespassing, use of false ID, etc. However, there are crimes that pose a serious threat to individuals or the entire society. These crimes include rape, murder, robbery, etc. A crime is an act that is directly or indirectly a violation of law, that are punishable according to the law violated. Crimes are classified to help impose a punishment on a convicted person. The seriousness of the crime is what decides the level of punishment to be imposed. Many times, states may vary slightly with their classification of a particular crime. A serious crime is often categorized as a felony and crimes of a less serious nature are called misdemeanor. In this article, we shall focus on felony classifications with information summarized from different states.

What is a Felony

Felony is a crime that is of a very serious nature and carries a sentence of more than one year in prison according to many states and federal laws. Some states also consider any length of time spent in prison as felony. A few States have capital punishment, that is, death as a punishment for crime. The different crimes that are consider as felonies in most of the states in United States of America are:

• Murder
• Rape
• Kidnapping
• Burglary
• Arson
• Robbery
• Aggravated assault and/or battery
• Illegal drug use/sale
• Grand theft
• Vandalism on federal property

Classification of Felonies

Every state has its own rules that relate to classification of felonies. Felony classifications and the punishment for the same varies in different states. What one state considers as a felony, may be considered as a misdemeanor in another state. Therefore, misdemeanor and felony is divided by a very fine line in different states. The felony classifications are based on the severity of the punishment. Some states assign a number to the class of felony for example Class 1. The Class 1 felony is considered to be the most serious of all crimes and higher the number of the class, the less serious is the crime. Some states use an alphabetic system to grade the felony class. For example, Class A is the most serious crimes committed by an individual(s) and Class I is the least serious type of felony committed.

The type of crime committed is also placed in different classes according to different state rules. Crimes such as murder, kidnapping, rape are considered to be the most serious of all crimes. They are generally placed in Class A or Class 1. Crimes of non-violent nature like sale or use of drugs maybe considered to be Class A or 1 crimes by certain states and some states may place them in lower classification of felonies. Some states also consider 'three strikes' in criminal laws. This means if one commits their third felony crime, they would be tried under a higher class of felony. The following is a list of felony classifications that consist of information from different states. However, the following classification of felonies is based on Wisconsin classification.

Class A Felony
The punishment for Class A felony is generally lifetime sentence. The crimes are generally of a very serious nature that include murder and first degree intentional homicide. The penalty consists of prison sentence including life without parole. The fine imposed by some states are as high as $50, 000. In some states Class 1 consists of a death sentence.

Class B Felony
Class B felony carries a sentence of up to 60 years in prison. In some states, the convicted person may face a life of probation. The fines can be as high as $ 30, 000. The crimes under Class 2 are manslaughter, conspiracy, kidnapping and first degree sexual assault.

Class C
The penalty for Class C felony is a fine of $100, 000. The punishment includes up to 40 years of imprisonment with or without fine. Many states do not consider Class C or Class 3 felony as a very serious crime. The crimes under this felony classifications include second degree assault, kidnapping, arson and robbery.

Class D
The class D felony offenses carry a fine of about $100,000 and imprisonment up to 25 years. The crimes under this classification of felonies include vehicular homicide, child enticement and solicitation of a child.

Class E
The class E felony crimes carries a 15 year prison sentence with or without a fine of up to $50,000. The crimes consist of battery, burglary and robbery.

Class F
Class F felony has a prison sentence of about 12 years and fine up to $25,000 including sexual exploitation, stalking and theft.

Class G
A prison sentence of about 10 years with or without a fine of $25,000 is attached to the Class G felony. Negligent homicide, embezzlement and theft are the crimes considered under Class G classification.

Class H
Prison term of 6 years with a fine of about $10,000 are considered under Class H. The crimes include stalking, theft and false imprisonment.

Class I
This is least severe felony crimes of all. The sentence is light of about 3½ years in prison and a fine of about $10,000. The felony crimes committed included under this classification is child pornography, battery, theft and stalking.

This was some information in short about the various classification of felonies. You should keep in mind that the sentence mentioned may increase or decrease depending on the nature of crime, character, history and circumstances of crime committed by the felon. Different states have different set of rules based on the basic guideline of imparting justice to all. If one is charged with felony, one should find out the class of felony one is charged with. The felony classifications is what determines the penalty and sentence one may face, in case convicted. You should speak to your felony lawyer regarding any doubts and further actions to be taken. The above paragraphs will have hopefully helped you get a basic idea of the different classification of felonies in the US.