Many acts have been designated as criminal offenses in the United States. The large number of crimes in the United States may be classified as follows:
- According to their sources, as statutory, common law, administrative, or constitutional crimes.
- As felonies or misdemeanors, which determines the method in which they are tried and, in many states, affect the law of arrest for such offenses. Many states classify felonies and misdemeanors as Class A, Class B, etc. In this way, punishment can be standardized: a class B felony is generally a twenty-year felony: a class C felony is a ten-year felony, etc.
- According to the harm or wrong that occurs
Felony and Misdemeanor
The felony and misdemeanor classification is the most common and most important classification of crimes. State criminal codes define felonies and misdemeanors in one of the following ways:
- A crime punishable by death or imprisonment in the state prison or penitentiary is a felony, and other crimes (punishable by fines or by imprisonment in the local jail) are misdemeanors. Oftentimes a first offense for a DUI is a misdemeanor.
- Any crime punishable by death or imprisonment for one year or more is a felony, and any other crime is a misdemeanor. Some examples of felonies include theft, manslaughter, homicide and murder.
Whether a crime is a felony or misdemeanor is important for the following reasons:
- Conviction of a felony could stand in the way of some types of employment, affect credit rating or the ability to adopt a child, and would prevent a person from entering the armed forces, becoming a law enforcement officer, obtaining a license as a nurse, surgeon, lawyer, etc. in most states, unless a pardon is obtained. A misdemeanor conviction would not ordinarily have these effects.
- In criminal law, people charged with felonies have the right to a preliminary hearing or a “presentation or indictment of a grand jury.”
Criminal Defense Lawyer
If you have been charged with a crime, it’s important to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney who is familiar with your states laws.
