Felony Examples, Definitions, and Degrees
Felony is the most severe type of crime. Understand what a felony is with examples.
Felony is the most severe criminal offense, which can be punishable by a sentence that ranges from a jail time of a minimum of 1 year to life imprisonment without parole and even capital punishment (death sentence).
Felony examples involve violent offenses, such as rape, aggravated assault, murder, kidnapping, and white-collar crimes such as tax evasion and securities fraud.
What is a felony?
High-serious crimes are felonies, whereas a less severe crime is a misdemeanor crime. The term “felony” originated from the French word “félonie” to describe an offense that results in the confiscation of a convicted person’s goods and lands, to which punishments such as capital punishments could be added (originally as per English Law).
In the United States law, a felony gets defined as a crime punishable by imprisonment for not less than a year. The US law considers a felony as a wrong against the state and society and not just against an individual.
Unlike English law, US law has no forfeiture of all the felon’s property and is not a part of the definition. However, the specific property is subject to forfeiture for crimes like racketeering.
If a person gets convicted of a felony, such a conviction can lead to imprisonment of more than one year, and in some cases, it can be life imprisonment to death.
Felony examples
While some crimes can get categorized as either misdemeanors or felonies, others result in felony charges, depending on the exact circumstances. Here are some examples of felonies.
- Treason
- Animal Cruelty
- Murder
- Manslaughter
- Aggravated assault
- Kidnapping
- Arson
- Tax evasion
- Grand larceny
- Sale or manufacturing of drugs
Violent and Nonviolent Crimes
Not all felonies involve violence. Felony also consists of a series of white-collar crimes. Tax evasion is one of the most well-known examples of felonies of white-collar crime. Let’s look at Violent and Nonviolent crimes in detail.
Felonies of violent nature
In violent crimes, the use of force against a person is common. Because of an “intent” to commit violence, several occurrences with no actual violence may result in a felony charge.
For example, Kyle carries a revolver concealed in his jacket into a shopping mall. Kyle is apprehended without incident, although having a firearm at a retail mall may be considered a criminal, especially when combined with other factors.
Some states also consider violence against property to be a violent felony.
Felonies of non-violent nature
These crimes have nothing to do with violence, though they can put the public at some other risk of harm, often of a financial nature. Such crimes include grand theft, tax evasion, fraud, and money laundering.
Degrees of Felony
Most states divide felonies into first through fourth-degree felonies, each carrying increasing penalties outlined explicitly in the state’s criminal codes. Felonies by a degree may include the following, though the exact list varies from state to state:
The first-degree felony includes murder, rape, arson, fraud, and kidnapping.
Second-degree felony includes aggravated assault, arson, manslaughter, felony assault, child molestation, and possession of a controlled substance.
Third-degree felony includes elder abuse, assault, battery, fraud, driving under the influence, arson, and transmission of pornography.
Fourth-degree felony includes burglary, larceny, resisting arrest, and involuntary manslaughter.
The felon that falls under first-degree faces the most severe punishment, and the felon under fourth-degree faces the minor punishment in felony crimes
Is Embezzlement a felony?
Embezzlement is a crime in which a person fails to return the property or money of another individual or an entity or spend it in a way not intended to be consumed or used. The characteristics of Embezzlement are:
- The person accused has legal permission or possession to use the property or money. It stands to be the main difference between theft and Embezzlement. A theft occurs when a person takes something they never had lawful permission to possess.
- The act done in Embezzlement is intentional, and the accused do not wish to give the money or property back intentionally.
- The accused converts the property or takes the money for their use, not its intended use. Conversion includes more than just taking, such as changing the worth or value of the property, selling the property and using it up for personal use, or withholding the property or money from its owner.
To Conclude –
Now that you understand what a felony is, after reviewing some common felony examples, you will know that a criminal conviction is serious. A person facing felony charges risks not only doing time in jail or prison but also having the charge and sentence recorded on their permanent record. If you face criminal charges, it is in your best interests to get legal counsel as soon as possible.
