Felony

A felony is the most serious type of criminal offense. A felony is defined as a crime that is severe enough to be punishable by sentences ranging from imprisonment for more than a year, to life imprisonment without parole, and even death. In comparison, a misdemeanor is a lesser offense, punishable by imprisonment for up to a year. One who commits a felony is a felon; someone convicted of a felony is known as a convicted felon or convict. While felonies are often violent offenses, and include major crimes such as murder, rape, aggravated assault or kidnapping, they can also include white-collar crimes like tax evasion and securities fraud.

Felonies can be broadly classified on the basis of whether the crime is against a person or property. Crimes against persons include the following:

• Assault: This is the unlawful attempt to inflict violence on someone with the objective of hurting them, and includes the threat of bodily harm.
• Domestic violence: It has many forms, including emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and physical aggression. Domestic violence can apply to any relationship in the same home, and is not restricted only to spouses.
• Drug-related crimes: This depends on the amount of drugs one has and the intention. A large amount of drugs found on a person may result in a drug trafficking conviction on the grounds that there was intent to sell.
• Driving under the influence (DUI): This violation becomes a felony depending on the frequency of the offense and whether anyone was injured when it occurred.
• Kidnapping: While the commonplace definition is that of a person held against their will, generally for a ransom, kidnapping also occurs when a child is held by a parent who does not have custodial rights.
• Manslaughter: Involuntary manslaughter occurs when someone is accidentally killed due to negligence, such as when driving under the influence. Voluntary manslaughter occurs when a person is killed shortly after a heated argument.

Crimes against property include the following :

• Arson: Setting fire to a building or property for an illegal purpose, such as for a fraudulent insurance claim. Setting wildfires also counts as arson.
• Fraud: Felony fraud is the most serious type of fraud, and generally involves a government agency or large sums of money.

The degree of severity or prior record can turn a misdemeanor into a felony. For example, many states consider theft of up to $500 a misdemeanor and larger amounts to be a felony. Similarly, while driving under the influence is generally regarded as a misdemeanor, repeated DUIs would result in the charge being upgraded to a felony. While most traffic violations are infractions or misdemeanors, felony traffic violations include leaving the scene of an accident and vehicular homicide.

A felony conviction in the United States can have long-term consequences after release from incarceration, including:

• Deportation for a non-US citizen
• Exclusion from obtaining certain licenses
• Loss of voting rights.