Knowing About The Difference Between Misdemeanour and Felony


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If you want to know more about the law, it is important to know about the differences between misdemeanours and felonies. Your state or country may have different standard on the severity of criminal acts. As a example, a crime may only warrant stern warning, fines or one year of incarceration. In general, misdemeanours are inappropriate actions or behaviours that don’t affect the society adversely or drastically. On the other hand, felony can be considered as potentially serious enough. Depending on local laws, misdemeanours may include vandalism, prostitution, disorderly conducts, possession of marijuana, simple assault and trespassing. In some areas, the first arrest on the possession of drug is considered as misdemeanour, while in other areas, it can be directly considered as felony.

So, if you move between states and countries, you should know that things that may appear to be misdemeanours could actually be considered as felony in specific areas. This could cause you to spend months or even one year in local jail.  In general, misdemeanours will cause you to spend only one night in the jail at the local police station. Misdemeanours could also be punished with community services, fines and probation. Although misdemeanours could be considered as minor offenses, you should know that accumulating them could cause your lose some privileges. As an example, you won’t be able to obtain specific professional licenses, jobs or public office positions. More often, the long term effects of misdemeanours are related to the area in which the offense was acted out.

On the other hand, felonies are placed in a different class and in many countries, it is used to include moderate and serious crimes. Felonies are punishable by imprisonment and in some cases, death. Types of felonies include robbery, burglary, rape, arson, battery, aggravated assault, vandalism of public facilities, murder, killing spree and distribution of illegal drugs. It is quite clear that felonies always relate to more severe punishments compared to misdemeanour. Obviously, long term consequences of felonies are more severe than misdemeanours, such as lost of career, ineligibility to welfare assistance and disenfranchisement. For non-citizens, felonies could cause them to serve time in local jails or get deported.

It is important for you to know about the differences between felony and misdemeanour. In some cases, it can be difficult to differentiate between them, but the consequences, such as jail times and fines can be significantly different. You should be aware of the discrepancies and how the law regarding to specific criminal acts are carried out. You should be aware that our future can be significantly affected. Regardless of whether you are being charged with misdemeanour or felony, it is important that you are assisted by a lawyer. If you have made mistakes, by committing inappropriate actions, you can still get reduced sentence, if the lawyer is able to prove that what you did is considered as a lesser offense. Your lawyer should have all the necessary defensive legal skills.