what's the difference between felonies and misdemeanors?

Question

Some felonies and misdemeanors are classified with letters, such as "Felony-C", etc. What do the letters mean?

Answer 1

the letters are the class of the felony or misdemeanor. Also, the difference in them is the severity of the crime. The worse the crime the more time you get and thats how they come up with the letters

Answer 2

A felony stays on your record, and a misdemeanor goes off. Felonies can get you prison time while misdemeanors usually get you fines, probation, and possibly some jail time. Misdemeanors can get you prison time if you are a repeat offender. Also you are required to put any felonies on an application when applying for a job. Makes it hard to find a decent job, where as having a misdemenaor no one will know about. Either one you really don't want.

Answer 3

Could be a felony only because it happened on the public way or if you did more than get into a fight, such as kick the stuffing out of the other to the point they need hospitalization. Rare for the prosecutor to approve felony just because of "on the public way". Felony battery is more likely charged when you are using a dangerous weapon, you actually put a hole in the other guy and if the other person was a protected party such as an on duty cop, transit employee, mailman, public school teacher, and in LV the special police who are casino employees. Inside a building public place does not count as public way.

Answer 4

Felonies are serious crimes. Misdemeanors, as the name suggests (bad demeanor) are minor crimes, generally for which no state jail time is imposed. Both stay on your record.

A third class of 'crimes' are not really crimes at all but infractions against regulatory codes and are not considered a part of a 'criminal record', unless you already have one. This includes stuff like jaywalking and overtime parking.

Answer 5

Felonies are serious crimes, like murder, rape, grand theft, manslaughter, racketeeering, etc. Misdemenors are minor, or lesser crimes like jaywalking, minor traffic offenses, stealing below a set amount to be still classified as a misdemenor, etc.

Some municipalities use letters to set off degrees,or seriousness of a felony.

Answer 6

From the Texas Penal Code:

SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS

§12.01. Punishment in accordance with code.

(a) A person adjudged guilty of an offense under this code shall be punished in accordance with this chapter and the Code of Criminal Procedure.

(b) Penal laws enacted after the effective date of this code shall be classified for punishment purposes in accordance with this chapter.

(c) This chapter does not deprive a court of authority conferred by law to forfeit property, dissolve a corporation, suspend or cancel a license or permit, remove a person from office, cite for contempt, or impose any other civil penalty. The civil penalty may be included in the sentence.

§12.02. Classification of offenses.

Offenses are designated as felonies or misdemeanors.

§12.03. Classification of misdemeanors.

(a) Misdemeanors are classified according to the relative seriousness of the offense into three categories:

(1) Class A misdemeanors;

(2) Class B misdemeanors;

(3) Class C misdemeanors.

(b) An offense designated a misdemeanor in this code without specification as to punishment or category is a Class C misdemeanor.

(c) Conviction of a Class C misdemeanor does not impose any legal disability or disadvantage.

§12.04. Classification of felonies.

(a) Felonies are classified according to the relative seriousness of the offense into five categories:

(1) capital felonies;

(2) felonies of the first degree;

(3) felonies of the second degree;

(4) felonies of the third degree; and

(5) state jail felonies.

(b) An offense designated a felony in this code without specification as to category is a state jail felony.

SUBCHAPTER B. ORDINARY MISDEMEANOR PUNISHMENTS

§12.21. Class A misdemeanor.

An individual adjudged guilty of a Class A misdemeanor shall be punished by:

(1) a fine not to exceed $4,000;

(2) confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year; or

(3) both such fine and confinement.

§12.22. Class B misdemeanor.

An individual adjudged guilty of a Class B misdemeanor shall be punished by:

(1) a fine not to exceed $2,000;

(2) confinement in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days; or

(3) both such fine and confinement.

§12.23. Class C misdemeanor.

An individual adjudged guilty of a Class C misdemeanor shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $500.

SUBCHAPTER C. ORDINARY FELONY PUNISHMENTS

§12.31. Capital felony.

(a) An individual adjudged guilty of a capital felony in a case in which the state seeks the death penalty shall be punished by imprisonment in the institutional division for life without parole or by death. An individual adjudged guilty of a capital felony in a case in which the state does nor seek the death penalty shall be punished by imprisonment in the institutional division for life without parole.

(b) In a capital felony trial in which the state seeks the death penalty, prospective jurors shall be informed that a sentence of life imprisonment without parole or death is mandatory on conviction of a capital felony. In a capital felony trial in which the state does not seek the death penalty, prospective jurors shall be informed that the state is not seeking the death penalty and that a sentence of life imprisonment without parole is mandatory on conviction of the capital felony.

§12.32. First degree felony punishment.

(a) An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the first degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the institutional division for life or for any term of not more than 99 years or less than 5 years.

(b) In addition to imprisonment, an individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the first degree may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.

§12.33. Second degree felony punishment.

(a) An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the second degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the institutional division for any term of not more than 20 years or less than 2 years.

(b) In addition to imprisonment, an individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the second degree may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.

§ 12.34. Third degree felony punishment.

(a) An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the third degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the institutional division for any term of not more than 10 years or less than 2 years.

(b) In addition to imprisonment an individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the third degree may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.

§12.35. State jail felony punishment.

(a) Except as provided by Subsection (c), an individual adjudged guilty of a state jail felony shall be punished by confinement in a state jail for any term of not more than two years or less than 180 days.

(b) In addition to confinement, an individual adjudged guilty of a state jail felony may be punished by a fine not to exceed $10,000.

(c) An individual adjudged guilty of a state jail felony shall be punished for a third degree felony if it is shown on the trial of the offense that:

(1) a deadly weapon as defined by Section 1.07 was used or exhibited during the commission of the offense or during immediate flight following the commission of the offense, and that the individual used or exhibited the deadly weapon or was a party to the offense and knew that a deadly weapon would be used or exhibited; or

(2) the individual has previously been finally convicted of any felony:

(A) listed in Section 3g(a)(1), Article 42.12, Code of Criminal Procedure; or

(B) for which the judgment contains an affirmative finding under Section 3g(a)(2), Article 42.12, Code of Criminal Procedure.