>
205-981-2450
Given the large number of potential negative consequences that can result from the commission of a felony, many individuals in Alabama who face felony charges benefit from obtaining the services of an experienced criminal defense attorney. Individuals also benefit from understanding some of the key details about felony charges in Jefferson County and the rest of Alabama.
Do not hesitate to contact Alabama Criminal Lawyers at (205) 981-2450 for a free consultation.
Felonies require individuals to serve greater than one year in prison. There are certain offenses that can be charged as either misdemeanor or felonies dependent upon the facts of the day. Some of the factors that can be decisive in how an offense is charged are the value of the property, whether an individual was hurt or killed, if a firearm was part of a crime, the quantity of drugs involved in the crime, and the number of previous arrests that an individual has had.
The state of Alabama divides felonies into three separate categories: Class A, Class B, and Class C felonies. Class A felonies contain the offenses that result in the most substantial crimes, while Class B and Class C felonies result in less substantial penalties.
It might also be helpful to understand some of the most common crimes in each felony category: Class A felonies include arson, murder, and rape; Class B felonies include first-degree assault and robbery; Class C felonies include criminally negligent homicide, interfering with custody rights, and stalking.
The length of prison that an individual is sentenced to depends substantially on what felony class for the offense that the individual was convicted.
The breakdown per felony class is as follows: individuals convicted of a Class C felony are sentenced to a minimum of one year and a day in prison to a maximum sentence of ten years, individuals who are convicted of a Class B felony are sentenced to a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum sentence of twenty years, individuals who are sentenced to Class A felonies face a minimum of ten years to a maximum of ninety years or life in prison.
Individuals who are charged with felonies in the state of Alabama can also face potential fines. The amount of fines is dependent upon the classification of the felony for which an individual is charged. These fine breakdowns are as follows: individuals who are sentenced to Class A felonies are fined not more than $60,000; individuals who sentenced to Class B felonies are fined not more than $30,000; and individuals who sentenced to Class C felonies are fined not more than $15.000.
All states tend to participate in what could be thought of almost as a ranking system for crimes committed within that state, including the law as applied in Birmingham, Alabama. The basic general distinction between types of crimes consists of classifying crimes as either a felony or a misdemeanor. Felonies tend to be far more serious crimes and result in lengthier prison sentences, whereas a misdemeanor is usually less serious and might be punishable by jail time under a year. The further ranking of crimes, specifically felonies, by level allow for the legislature or other administrative bodies to create sentencing guidelines appropriate to the particular crimes within a given class.
In Alabama, the legislature charged the Alabama Sentencing Commission a number of years ago to review the state’s sentencing guidelines and help ensure that sentencing for crimes was consistent and matched the severity of the crime committed. In some cases, recommendations from the Alabama Sentencing Commission have encouraged the legislature to take certain actions, such as recently creating Class D Felonies within the state. This article contains basic information regarding the different classes of felonies in Alabama.
The crimes that are included in this group are considered the most severe crimes. Types of crimes that qualify as a Class A Felony include but are not limited to:
As you can see with the last example of this class of crime, some crimes are qualified by degrees in addition to being classified by type of felony. These degrees have specific elements that must be proven in order to prove the severity of the type of crime in question. A criminal defense attorney can help you understand the differences between different degrees of crimes that may be graded by degree.
The crimes here are considered slightly less severe than those listed above, but still have serious consequences that come with conviction. Some examples of crimes that qualify as a Class B Felony include but are not limited to:
Again, the type of degree attached to a specific crime has a large impact on what class that crime fits into, and specific elements that must be proven in order to reach different degrees of a crime.
For a long time, Class C Felonies were the lowest ranking of crimes qualifying as a felony in Alabama. With recent changes to Alabama’s felony classification system, crimes in the class include but are not limited to:
Each of these crimes also has specific elements that must be proven based on the circumstances of the crime.
Recent movements toward unburdening the justice system and lessening penalties for certain crimes have created the need for a new felony class. Alabama has recently added this class of crimes qualifying as felonies, and they now constitute the least severe crimes that still qualify as felonies. Crimes that qualify as a Class D Felony include but are not limited to:
The punishment for these crimes is usually less severe, and commission of these crimes does not qualify a person as a habitual offender, though there are some exceptions to the severity of sentencing depending on a person’s prior criminal history.
Regardless of the degree of the felony charge, a felony has serious consequences that could include life in prison and extremely large fines. It is important that you take felony charges seriously, and that means having a serious criminal defense attorney to work with you on your defense. You will be able to find out more information about the charges being faced as well as potential consequences if such charges result in a conviction. You will also be able to explore the unique circumstances of your situation with an attorney experienced in handling criminal defense issues.
If you are facing criminal charges in Alabama, contact Alabama Criminal Lawyers at (205) 981-2450 or use our online contact form.