Felonies
Criminal Defense Attorney for Felony Charges
What is the difference between felonies classifications?
A felony is a serious problem on a person’s legal record. The consequences of a felony or felonies include (but are not limited to) loss of voting rights, loss of gun rights, difficulty getting jobs, and the general negative stigma that comes along with being a “felon.” That’s why it’s important that you hire a criminal defense attorney for felony charges.
Besides being able to defend the facts of your felony case, a good attorney needs to be knowledgeable in expungement, first offenders’ programs, drug courts, veterans’ courts, and other possible opportunities to help lessen the penalties of a felony charge. Unfortunately, picking up a felony charge can be easy – the hard part is keeping it off your record. You need an attorney who knows how to do that.
Class a Felony
Carries a sentence of 6 to 30 years in prison. Some examples of a Class A felony are aggravated robbery, certain sex crimes, and certain drug crimes. You should definitely hire a criminal defense attorney for Class A felony.
Class b Felony
Carries a sentence of 5 to 20 years in prison. An example of a Class B felony is burglary. You should absolutely hire a criminal defense attorney for Class B felony.
Class C Felony
Carries a sentence of 3 to 10 years in prison. Some examples of a Class C felony are vandalism, failure to appear in court, and receiving stolen property. You need to hire a criminal defense attorney for Class C felony.
Class d Felony
Carries a sentence of up to 6 years in prison. Some examples of a Class D felony are aggravated assault and breaking and entering. Even though this is the lowest felony level, you should still hire a criminal defense attorney for Class D felony.
Class Y Felony
Carries a sentence of 10 to 40 years or life in prison. Some examples of a Class Y felony are murder, rape, and kidnapping. This is the highest felony level, so you should really hire a criminal defense attorney for Class Y felony.
Expungement
In Arkansas, expunging your record doesn’t mean that your felony charges are “erased” or “deleted.” It means that your case is sealed and treated as though it were highly confidential. If you have a felony case expunged, your record is considered “clean” in most circumstances. However, if you get charged with another crime in the future, the expunged case will be taken into consideration.
Expungements restore your right to carry a gun in circumstances such as those in the Arkansas First Offender Act., but you’ll need a pardon to completely restore your right to bear arms.
If you were facing criminal charges but the case was dismissed, acquitted, or deemed “nolle prosequi,” you can absolutely file for an expungement. If you have been convicted of a felony, there are very specific criteria your charges must meet to be able to petition for expungement. These criteria include your criminal history and prior felony convictions.
Having a felony expunged from your record is a very intense, confusing legal process. You’ll have to file a complicated petition, and you might even have to attend a hearing in court. Don’t try to expunge your own felony record – hire a criminal defense attorney with a lot of experience with felony charges. Chances are if they’ve gone to court for lots of felony cases, they’ve seen an expungement or two. Don’t be afraid to ask an attorney what his experience with expungement looks like. Asking this question will show you that you’ve either found someone who knows their stuff or that you need to keep looking.
