Q: What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony?
➡️ Under federal law and in most states, a misdemeanor is a criminal offense that carries a potential jail term of less than one year. Under the federal sentencing guidelines the classes of misdemeanors are divided up by the maximum imprisonment for the offense.
➡️ A felony is the most serious type of crime. The term felony is not uniform throughout the United States, while the federal government defines felony as a crime with a punishment of more than one year, states are less strict about the definition. Typically, though a sentence of more than one year that will be served in a state or federal prison will be considered a felony. As with misdemeanors, Federal law breaks down classifications for felonies using sentencing guidelines by the amount of prison time.
For those charged with either a misdemeanor or a felony, feel free to give us a call for more clarification regarding your specific case. We have the knowledge and experience needed to help you move forward!
