Felonies

A felony charge is one of the firmest convictions that a person can experience. The range of punishment can exceed one year of confinement if found guilty. It’s a very serious charge that must not be taken lightly. Consider also that if ordered to serve jail time, you’ll be serving it in the Alabama Department of Corrections or a Federal Penitentiary instead of a Mobile county jail, or another local prison. Being convicted of a felony is something that can remain on your record for the rest of your life, making future employment exceedingly tricky, and on top of it, you will lose some of your Constitutional rights such as your right to own a gun, and even your right to vote. Being faced with a felony charge is not the end of the world, and with the assistance of a qualified criminal defense attorney, the costs can lessen.

If you’re in Mobile County, Alabama, and have been charged with a federal offense, no matter if in State or Federal Court, before you take any steps forward it’s crucial you contact Dearman Law Firm to evaluate  your rights and to assess all options available to you. Attorney Chase Dearman has assisted hundreds in your position facing a felony offense, and unless you act quickly, you can face revocation of your rights very promptly throughout the process. When attempting to stay out of jail, or even minimize your sentence time, it’s crucial to contact a criminal defense attorney right after your charge to reduce your consequences.

There’s three different types of felonies depending on what you’ve been charged with, and each carries different yet still severe penalties.

Class A Felonies
These can include:

  • Murder / Capital Murder
  • Kidnapping in the First Degree
  • Rape in the First Degree
  • Domestic Violence in the First Degree
  • Burglary in the First Degree
  • Arson in the First Degree

The firmest felony convictions fall into Class A Felonies. In the State of Alabama, these convictions will carry a sentence of no less than ten years and no more than life / 90 years in jail. If a deadly weapon is involved, the minimum sentence immediately jumps up to twenty years in prison. A felony conviction typically means a firearm was involved in the crime. Capital murder carries a separate charge, and the accused can immediately receive a life sentence. Fines for all Class A felonies will not exceed $60,000.

Class B Felonies
These can include:

  • Manslaughter in the First Degree
  • Assault in the First Degree
  • Kidnapping in the Second Degree
  • Rape in the Second Degree
  • Sexual Crimes
  • Burglary in the Second Degree
  • Robbery
  • Arson in the Second Degree
  • Theft of Property in the First Degree
  • Theft of Services in the First Degree
  • Receiving Stolen Merchandise in the First Degree

A Class B felony is slightly less severe than a Class A felony, but will still carry life-altering consequences if not acted upon quickly. The minimum sentenced jail time is two years, with a maximum of twenty years. Similar to a Class A felony, if a firearm is involved in the actual crime, the minimum sentence immediately escalates to a minimum of ten years imprisonment. The fines will not exceed $30,000 for a Class B felony.

Class C Felony
These can include:

  • Criminally Negligent Homicide
  • Custody Interference
  • Criminal Tampering in the First Degree
  • Receiving Stolen Merchandise in the Second Degree

A Class C felony carries the lightest consequences of all crimes, but they are still very severe. There’s a minimum jail sentence of one year and a day, to a maximum of ten years. Just like a Class A and Class B felony, if the use of a firearm is involved in the crime, the minimum sentence immediately escalates to ten years in jail. Fines can go up to $15,000.00 for a Class C felony.

Class D Felony

Class D felonies are punishable by a prison sentence of not more than five (5) years, or less than one (1) year and one (1) day. Fines can be up to $7,500.00.

SPECIAL PROVISIONS REGARDING CLASS D FELONIES

Where a Class D felony results in a prison sentence, the sentence is limited to two (2) years, and is to be served in a Community Correction Facility. Because of the two (2) limitation, if the sentence is longer than two (2) years, it is given as a split sentence, with 2 years to serve and the remainder on probation. Sentences on Class D felonies are not eligible for “good time” (Correctional Incentive Time), therefore, they are served essentially day-for-day. Class D offenses are subject to the Alabama Sentencing Guidelines. Class D offenses and convictions are not subject to the Alabama Habitual Offender Act.

ALTERNATE FINES FOR OFFENSES INVOLVING PECUNIARY GAIN

As to all felony offenses, the Court may assess a fine up to double the amount of the pecuniary gain involved in the particular case. For example, in a theft case, where the item stolen is valued at $10,000.00, the Court could assess a fine of $20,000.00 or the normal fine under the class of felony listed above.

CERTAIN SPECIFIC OFFENSES WITH FINES IMPOSED UNDER THEIR SPECIFIC STATUTE

There are a number of criminal offenses in Alabama that have a specific fine which can be assessed per the specific statute. One example is Drug Trafficking cases. Under the drug trafficking statute, the Court is mandated to impose a particular fine.

If you’re facing a felony offense charge, you need to reach out to a criminal defense law firm immediately to figure out what options are available to you. Dearman Law Firm has assisted thousands in your exact situation and can help protect your Constitutional rights.